GE: Silver
by DaRaginLombax
Summary: This is a retelling of God Eater Resurrection (Or Gods Eater Burst) with my protagonist, Silver. Though it is a retelling, i will change some things to make it original, while still keeping the biggest parts of the original plot.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everbody! Welcome to chapter 1 of my new story, GE: SILVER. This will be like a retelling of the first God Eater from the perspective of my Protagonist, Silver. Although it IS a retelling, i will change some things to make it more original, while keeping most of the important plot points. Also, for an immersive twist, when you see a song title betwee 2 "~" symbols, you should have that song playing. A single ~ means to stop tne song. I really hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Also, i do NOT own the God Eater franchise. Though i guess i do own my protagonist.

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God Eater: Silver

Hair Style: 35

Accessory: Bandana 2; Red and Black

Voice: 8

Flair:6 Cross Scar

Hair Color: Bright White

Top: Wild Zoisite Top

Bottom: Prog Street Pants.

Chapter 1:

Normal POV

The wind was harsh. It blew so fiercely that a lightweight person would be carried away of they simply jumped. The sand wasn't making anything better. Not for a certain individual who was currently trekking his way through the sandstorm. This young man wore a brown desert tunic, which was damaged from the storm, over a black long sleeved top with a collar that stood up to about between his nose and mouth. The youth had a black bandana with red lining and a red design on the forehead. He had silver hair, which spike d upwards on the top of his head band, and hung a short distance from the bottom to the point of his nose. To the right of the young one's face was a scar in the shape of an X. To shield his eyes, he also wore a pair of clear goggles. Strapped between his back the backpack he wore, was a large sword. About 60 inches in length to the tip, almost as tall as the youth, and about a foot in width, it had two holes the size of apples close above the hilt.

As the boy continued his journey through the destroyed city he found himself in, surrounded by demolished buildings, some of which had large perfectly circular holes through them, he began to notice a change in the air around him. "Looks like the storms letting up". He stopped walking for a moment to ponder. Seeing as he didn't need to wear them, he removed his protective goggles. "Hmm.. should I keep going, or should I take a breather while the breathing's good?" He thought for a few moments. "If bro were here, he would.." he began, then stopped himself. "No, I need to think about what _I_ would do." A voice echoed in his mind.

 _Silver... Do me a favor. Don't try to be like me. Think of me and be like_ you…

"I won't forget…" Silver says with his head low and eyes closed. "…bro." He clutches the handle of the sword he held on his back. He perks his head up and opens his eyes. "Well enough of _that._ Now lets see if there's somewhere I can rest at around here." As he took a moment to take in his surroundings, he found an entrance to a destroyed building. " Is that a church?" He asked upon further inspection. "in a world that's been destroyed by what are _supposedly_ sent by God, is a Church really that safe a place?" he humorously asked himself as proceeded to walk to it.

"Aww, no seats?!" he complained. "Some church". He then leaned against a wall and slid down it into a sit. He removed his backpack and from it, took out a third full bottle of water. As he finished what remained, he observed the inside of his pack. "Lets see, I've got 4 of these left." He took note. After a bit of thinking, he came to a conclusion. "This'll last me just fine till I get there!" After about twenty minutes had passed, he stood up from where he sat. "That was a nice break!" he said smiling. "Now I've got to find the entrance to the subway, then I-"

~Shadows over the City~

Just then, a loud roar, could be heard from outside the former church. "Bitchtits!" He cursed, "Looks like they found me!" He ran outside to see 2 monsters about his size standing on there two legs similar to chickens. They were partially covered in fur. Slowly closing in on Silver, he throws the tunic off his torso and he draws his large sword and takes upwards diagonal strike at the monster on his left. It didn't make a dent or wound, but it sent him flying about 10 feet to the left. The other monster lunged at him, but Silver blocked it in time with his sword, pushing the monster backwards. The monster tried to charge again, but before it hit Silver, he spun himself into a dodge to the left. As the monster stopped, Silver rotated his grip and slapped the monster with the face of the sword, sending it in the others direction. "Damn. I know thing won't work on Aragami, but if I can get these guys off me, I can make a break for it." Silver states to himself. As the two Aragami get ready to charge him, he positions himself to knock them back, a gunshot is heard from behind them. As one of the monsters fall, Silver makes out what appears to be… a Woman? And with a _gun_ no less?

~No way Back, Project X Zone 2

"Hey!" She calls out to him. From what Silver could make out, she had black, short straight hair, a black dress with green lining, and a large red bracelet. "That thing won't cut them!" she tells Silver.

"I know!" He calls back. Still he continued to slash at the Aragami. If one would attack, he'd block and counter them with quick, yet strong swings of the large sword.

"He says he knows it doesn't work", the woman says, continuing to fire at the Aragami, "but he's still fighting." She calls out to Silver, "Hey! You! Get out of there!" _I'll admit though, he's holding his own pretty well._ A short static was made from the ear piece she had in her ear.

"Sakuya" a mans voice said.

"Lindow", she says back, "are you seeing this? He won't back off!" she informed the man.

"Take it easy." He replied. "I wanna watch this."

"got a good view from up there?" she asks jokingly as she looks up to a rooftop.

On the rooftop, a young man in a long brown coat with black hair was lighting a cigarette. "Its nice" he replied. "Could use a chair and some beer though." As he puffed a swig of his cigarette, he kept a keen eye on Silver's effort to fend off then Aragami. "Gotta say, kids got talent. Familiar somehow…"

"Lindow" another adults voice speaks up. "How long do you plan on keeping us waiting."

Lindow sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "fine. Go for it." He pulls out a cylinder with a ring and pin on it. He pulls out the pin and tosses it off the roof, and leaps off with it.

Down below, as Silver is fending off the Aragami, an blinding flash lights the area. Silver shields his eyes for a moment. As he uncovers them, the Aragami are roaring whilst standing higher on there legs. "Huh?" Silver exclaims as he looks up to see a silver haired youth in a blue hood free falling down with a large spiked claymore him one hand. As he puts his other hand on it, he aims it below, and suddenly a large mouth comes from out of the blade. _Theyre… God Eaters!_ Silver realizes. The hooded man continues his drop onto the ground as he drives the mouth from his weapon into one of the monsters. As he finishes what seems like his sword eating the monster. The man looks at Silver.

"Better watch it around here, or that could end up being you." The hooded youth warns.

Silver steps back nerviously. "You'll make that thing eat ME?"

"oh my- not by me, them!" the hooded man corrects, sighing.

"Well, I knew THAT!" Silver said.

"Behind you." The blue-hood emotionlessly says.

Heeding his warning, Silver turned around and slashed at the monster attacking him from behind. As he hits it, it doesn't do anything besides nudge the Aragami despite the force put into the swing. In that moment, a large chainsaw-like blade tears through the Aragami. Silver stares in awe as the blade is quickly removed from the body as it falls on the ground. He looks towards the holder of the blade to see a black haired man in a coat smoking.

Lindow holds his large sword over his shoulder and hold his cigarette in the other hand. "Well that wraps that up" he says. Sakuya walks up to the rest of the group. "Thanks for not killin' em yet, Sakuya," Lindow says to her. She nods back to him. He turns to Silver. "hey, that was an impressive display." Lindow compliments him. "Thanks for putting on a good show for us."

"um.. your welcome?" Silver replied in confusion. "I didn't do anything though." He says humbly, "I was just gonna find an opening to use a flash bomb and bail."

"So _that's_ why you kept fighting, even though that blade of yours didn't work." Sakuya realised. "Sorry, I thought you were been stubborn, but you knew what you were doing." She apologized.

"oh, its alright, miss…." He said, inquiring her name.

"Sakuya." She answered. "Sakuya Tachibana."

"Names Lindow. Your buddy right there is Soma." Lindow introduces.

"We're not 'buddies'", Soma retorts as he turns his back on the group. "I'm heading to the chopper's rendezvous"

Lindow lets out a sigh. "Don't mind him." He says, "he's had it rough."

Silver nods. _Alot of us have._ "M'key." He examines the groups red bracelets and the giant weapons they had. "So you guys are God Eaters?" Silver concludes. "Are you with the Far East Branch?" he asks, "please, tell me!"

"Yep. That's us." Lindow answers. "Someone looking to join the club?"

"Yeah!" Silver said. "I took the compatibility test, so I should be good right?" He continued anxiously.

"well there's one obstacle out of the way", Sakuya states, "how did you plan on getting there though?"

"You can get there easier the subway, right?"

Lindow and Sakuya give each other looks. Lindow sighs and speaks up. "You'd have no luck. Its crawling with large Aragami down there, and if they don't kill you, then the heat will." Lindow explained. " _But_ ", he starts with a smile, "since you showed us your talent and will power earlier, you've earned a free helicopter ride to the Fenrir Far Branch Den! There, you'll become a God Eater, learn about God Arcs, Oracle Cells, and stay in a luxurious living space, complete with your very own… bed!" Lindow says as if he's the host of a game show. "How does that sound?"

Silver lowered his head. " It sounds awesome, but…"

"what's wrong?" Sakuya asks with concern.

"Well, I'm…" Silver hesitated, "not.. so sure I trust you guys."

Lindow found himself in shock. "whoa, where'd _that_ come from?"

Silvers head was kept low. "Sorry some things happened, quite a few years ago. I lost most of my faith in people and this world." He looked back up at the two God Eaters. "Id like to try and place my trust in people again, but I just…. Don't know.."

Sakuya gave Silver a smile. "Well, id like you to try and trust us." She pleaded. "we got to see what you can do today, and got an idea of what you could do in the future. And I have a feeling I can place my trust in _you._ How about you Lindow?" she looks at him.

"I'd like to see what you can do. How 'bout it? Wanna join the band amd raise some hell?" Lindow says, "and besides. Trust goes both ways."

Silver thought for a few moments. He wanted to be a God Eater. He wanted to fight so he could protect people. He wanted to come to trust them again. Again it would nice to stop living on the run. His mind had been made up. If he was going to put his faith in the world, he'd have to start somewhere. "Well then, should we start for the chopper?"

Smiles grew on Lindow and Sakuyas faces. "So you'll come along?" Sakuya asked with glee.

"Of course. I've wanted to become a God Eater for as long as I can remember" Silver answered. "And besides, what kind of guy would I if I turned down the trust of a woman such as yourself?" Silver adds with a slick smile. Sakuya's face then turns beat red.

"Ooh, killer with the ladies, huh?" Lindow remarks. "Oh, we'll get along just fine. Alright, lets get going." Lindow instructed. "Soma will be pissed if we keep him waiting." With that, the group begins their walk to the helicopter.

"Hey, Miss Sakuya" Silver addresses.

"Hm?"

"Sorry about that back there." Silver apologized, referring to the question that made her blush. "a certain someone I once knew rubbed off on me."

Sakuya giggles at his honesty. "oh, its fine!" she assures him, "Lindow used to do it all the time."

"Won't deny it" Lindow says, shamelessly

The group reaches the helicopter on the other side of the city. Soma was already there waiting for them. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Soma." Lindow apologizes with a hint of sarcasm. "was havin a talk with your new buddy." Soma grumbled from across where I sat down on the chopper. Lindow looks Silver's way. _That headband,_ Lindow thought."Oh, yeah. I never got your name, kid."

"It's Silver. Silver Usugiri."

"Usugiri, huh" Lindow repeats. "Glad to have you on board."

End of chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2: Fenrir

Whays up, everybody? Welcome to chapter 2 of God Eater Resurrection. As usual, I dont own any of the God Eater characters except for my Protag. Please be sure to Rate and Review and play the song when prompt for a more emersive effect.

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GE: SILVER

Chapter 2:Fenrir

In the helicopter that Silver climbed aboard with the God Eaters he encountered, he was sat to the left of Soma. To Soma's right sat Sakuya, and Lindow sat across from all three of them. Silver felt for the first time in what seemed like ages, he was able to relax without worrying about getting killed by Aragami by surprise. He looked to Lindow. "Hey, mister Lindow." He addressed formally.

"Please, no formalities." Lindow responded. "Just Lindow." Lindow sat with his hands behind his head, looking towards the ceiling.

"Ok. Lindow." He corrected. "I can't thank you enough for this.".

"what, the chopper ride?"

"Well, yeah" Silver started, "but for also giving me a chance to join Fenrir."

Lindow turns his head to Silver and leans forward in his seat. "Just so you know", he began with a calm, but serious tone, "Becoming a God Eater is no cakewalk. Day in and day out, you'll be putting your life on the line killing Aragami." He explained.

Silver looked diagonally to the floor. "So I've heard." He said.

" _But.."_ Lindow continued. "With your experience of surviving out in this screwed up world, as well as your fighting skills, you should do just fine!" Lindow assured.

"Don't baby him, Lindow." Soma said with signature attitude. "If its too hard for him. Oh well." He continued to sit in hiss smug position with his arms crossed and eyes closed. "But, maybe you'll amount to be a _somewhat decent_ God Eater. Maybe."

' _Somewhat decent'?!_ Silver thought.

Sakuya scoffed at him, then turns to Silver. "Don't mind him", she reassures him. "Lindow's right. The experience you have out there _will_ help you in the long run."

"Alright!" Silver optimistically replied. "well, I'll just do what I've Gotta do to make sure myself and my teammates come home ok, right?"

Lindow smiles at him. "You catch on quick." He goes back to his serious look. "hey, mind if I ask you some questions?" Lindow asks.

"yeah, shoot"

"OK. One: How old are you?"

A puzzled look appeared on Silver's face. "I'm 19."

"K. Number 2: How long have you been surviving out here on your own.

"Oh, jeez. 'On my own', Id say about…," Silver pondered for a moment, "mmm… 4 maybe 5 years?"

Sakuya was quite surprised, and even Soma opened his eyes in interest. "4 or 5 years, huh?" he repeats. "That's kind of impressive." He complimented.

"Anyway" Lindow said to get back on topic. "3. And this ones important. Why do you want to become a God Eater?" Lindow asked.

Silver closed his eyes to think. _Why DO I wanna God Eater? What is THE reason? I haven't given that a whole lotta thought._ He opened his eyes and spoke up. "I know a few small reasons." He said. "As for the main reason… I'm still searching for it." He concluded.

"I get'cha." Lindow commented. "Guess its something you'll have to figure out for yourself."

"yeah…" Silver replied as he started to get lost in thought. His thought train was interrupted when Lindow spoke up again.

"Oh! One more question!" Lindow says as Silver focuses his attention to Lindow. "Do you know someone named Galen?" Lindow asked with a sly smile on his face.

"Huh?!" Silver gasped. He exhaled heavily. "guess the cats outta the bag." Silver admitted. "So you know then?"

"Yep." Lindow answered. "I knew that bandana you've got looked familiar. The last name really gave it away, though"

"Aright then, you got me." Silver confessed. "Galen Usugiri is my older brother." He closed his eyes as his head sunk.

"Yep. I nailed it." Lindow boasted. "Good guy, your brother. We go back quite a bit."

"Where is he now?" Sakuya asked with concern, fearing the worst.

"my big brother…" Silver said in almost a growl. "Was murdered!" he finished angrily.

"Oh my god, No!" Sakuya exclaimed. "I'm SO sorry! I should never have asked." She pleaded apologetically. "I met him a few times. He was a great man, and a great God Eater."

Silver let out a heavy sigh. "yeah…" he said as he eased the anger out of himself. "But, its thanks to him I am where I am now." He said with a small smile. "I owe a lot to him"

"I'm guessin he showed you how to use that big plank of metal over there?" Lindow inquired as he pointed his thumb towards Silver's sword, which leaned against one of the inside walls.

"Yeah. That sword's been in my family for decades." Silver explained. "my brother gave it to me at an earlier age cause it'd be good training for when _I_ became a God Eater."

Lindow smiled at Silver. "Well, looks like he did an OK job with that." He complemented. "Do think you could tell us how he died?"

"Lindow!" Sakuya exclaimed, "how could you just ask something like that so bluntly?!" she was almost yelling at this point.

"Hey, hey! Its OK." Silver assured in attempt to calm her down. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet. Some other time, maybe?"

"well then, we'll wait till you're ready to talk about it." Lindow said. He looked outside the chopper. They were now flying over the outskirts of the Old City. Looking out the other side, Lindow could make out a large wall adorned with a logo that resemble a wolf head with a ring in its mouth. "Well, looks like we're almost home." Lindow notified the group. "Hey, soon-to-be-Rookie." He addressed to Silver.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"when we get there, we'll have to drop you off at the Outer Wall gate." Lindow explained. "They'll have you take the compatibility test, just to be sure. After that, one of the guys will take you to the Far East Den. That's where the God Eaters stay." He concluded.

Sakuya continued speaking for Lindow. "when reach the Den, they'll bring you to a room where you get this installed on you." She holds out her arm referring to the large red Armlet on her wrist."

"Wait… 'installed'?" Silver repeats nervously.

"I'm guessing you brother didn't tell you about that", Lindow sighed. "About the armlet?"

Silver shook his head. "Not really. He just said 'when you become a God Eater, you have on of these put on."

Lindow sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh well. They'll explain everything when you get there."

"Alright." Silver replied. Feeling thirsty, he reached for his backpack on the floor. As he pulled a bottle of water out he looked at his fellow passengers. "Hey!" he said with an upbeat voice, "You guys want some water?" Silver pulled another bottle out. "I've got plenty for everyone!"

"Aww, your so kind," Sakuya complemented. "I'd love one!"

Lindow raised his hand in agreement. "I'll happily take one."

"Alright, here ya go", he says as he passes bottled water to Lindow and Sakuya. "Soma, would you like one?" he offers.

Soma hesitates for a moment. He then lets out one of his usually grumps. "Fine." He coldly answers. "Ill take one." He takes the bottle offered to him and starts sipping it.

As the chopper nears the landing pad close to the Outer Wall's gate, it makes its descent. "So, this my stop?" Silver asked, yelling over the copper's propellers.

"Yep!" Lindow answers, also yelling. "Hey rook!"

"Yeah?!"

"See you on the field!"

Silver nods as he grabs his backpack and sword. He then hops out of the plane and begins to walk towards the large gate guarded by two infantrymen with Red jackets. As he approached them, he spoke up. "Hey there!" he greeted them with a smile on his face, "I'm here to be a God Eater!" One of the guards approaches him.

"You'll have to take a compatibility test." He explained. "If you don't pass, you wont be able to enter."

 _No armlets… guess they're not God Eaters,_ Silver observed. "Yeah, I know." He replies to the guard.

The guard takes a small, square slip about a square inch from a pouch on his belt. "We call this an Oracle Sticker." He said. "I'd like you to place that on the back of your hand for ten seconds and press it down. If it appears blue, your free to enter. If it turns red…. I'm sorry." He finished explaining.

Silver placed the white sticker on his hand and pressed it as the guard said. _One… two…three…four…five…six...Seven…eight…nine…ten!_ Silver counted in his head. "remove it?" Silver asked. The guard nodded. Silver slowly peeled the sticker off of the back of his hand. "and…Heeeyyy!" Silver exclaimed with excitement. "I got Blue!"

"Alright then!" one of the infantrymen said. "Welcome to Fenrir!" As he went to unlock the gate to allow Silver inside the wall, the gate had already started opening. When it opened, Silver saw the figure of a young man about his age. This youth also wore a red jacket, yet he wore his open. As he emerged from the other side of the gate, Silver could make out dark brown, almost black hair. Silver also took note of the large armlet on his right arm. "Tatsumi?" The same guard says, surprised.

"What's goin on, guys?" the young man asks in a very friendly voice. "Brought you guys somethin'!" He holds out two aluminum cans and offers them to the guards.

"Sweet!" one of the infantrymen exclaim. "you're the best Tatsumi!"

"yeah, thanks a lot!" the other one adds. The pop open the soda cans and start sipping them.

"No problem!" Tatsumi replied. He turns to acknowledge Silver. "Hello, who's this?"

"He's looking to join the God Eaters." One of the guards states as he takes a sip of the drink that Tatsumi brought him. "Think you could escort him to the Den?"

"Absolutely!" Tatsumi answered with excitement. "Follow me, newbie!" he instructs Silver. "What's your name?"

"I'm Silver!" he introduces. "Awesome to meetcha!" the two start to make their way through thee large gate.

"I'm Tatsumi. Likewise." Tatsumi replied.

~Distant Days Promise-Namco X Capcom

After about ten minutes of walking through the Outer Ghetto, Silver sparks a conversation. "Hey, Tatsumi?" he addresses.

"Yeah, what's up?" he answers in an upbeat voice.

"That was really kind of you, bringing drinks for those guys." Silver told him. "I'm glad there are still people like that in this world. It makes me feel… relieved."

"Aww, its no big deal," Tatsumi said humbly.

"No, it is!" Silver begged to differ. "in a world like this, people need to help each other. Up until recently, I thought that other people would do what _they_ had to do to survive." He expressed sadly. "I was taught the exact opposite: To help people who couldn't help themselves."

Tatsumi gave him a sympathetic look. "Sounds like you've been through a lot. Most people around here care an awful lot about one another." Tatsumi explained as his head started to lower. "because if it's a world where _only_ the strongest survive… then what's left in end?" he finished with deep sadness in his voice.

Silver closed his eyes in thought. "Not a whole lot…" as Silvers thoughts trailed, he perked his head up and realized, _wait why I thinking like this?!_ "Anyway", he said in an upbeat voice, "Lets do our best to help those in need!" Silver said with a big smile directed towards Tatsumi.

"Right!" Tatsumi strongly agreed. Noticing Silvers large sword, he took a closer inspection at it. "So, this huge sword, where'd you get it?" he asked. "Its almost as big as my God Arc!"

"My brother gave it to me when were first started travelling to get here." Silver explained. "Said it'd be good for practice."

"If you two were together, then where is he" Tatsumi asked, feeling he already knew the answer.

Silver felt an intense feeling in his chest. "He… was killed." Silver answered in a low tone.

"I'm sorry I asked." Tatsumi apologized, feeling regret for bringing up a painful topic.

Silver smiled at Tatsumi. "Eh, its fine!" he assured him. "Anyway, the sword. Did you know its from a video game?"

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah! Though I've never played one, my family is a line of gamers." Silver boasted. "One of them _really_ liked the game this sword is from and had a real one made. After that, it got passed down, even after the world went to hell!" he explained.

"Wow!" Tatsumi expressed. "What game is it from?"

"Its called Final Fantasy 7." Silver answered. "Oh! And guess what year it came out!"

"I'm guessing a _long_ time ago" Tatsumi remarked.

"Hm Hm…" Silver laughed. "1997"

"Geez, that's old!"

"Yeah, no kidding!"

After a while of walking through the Ghettos and talking aboit random things, Silver and Tatsumi reached their destination: The Far East Branch Den. The building was enormous, to say the least.

"C'mon." Tatsumi prompted. Silver nodded as they walk through the front gate into a large lobby like area.

"Whoa…" Silver marveled. From the entrance, Silver could see several youths, all of which looked like God Eaters, sitting different seats all around the room and chatting with each other. Walking into the room, he saw That the floor he was on acted like a balcony above the bottom floor, which was accessible by a flight of stairs on both sides of the top area. To his sides, he saw two computer-like pods on each side, with one of them occupied by a God Eater. Over the balcony, Silver could make out a girl with Red hair standing at a receptionist desk.

"This way" Tatsumi directed Silver to said receptionist desk. "Hibari!" be called to the girl as he and Silver climbed down the stairs.

"Oh! Tatsumi! She responded to him, "How are you?" She ask _very_ politely.

"I'm even better than I was, now that I've gotten to see your beautiful face!" he answered with pride evident in his voice.

Silver giggled to himself. _Are they a couple?_

"Oh, stop joking around with me, Tatsumi!" She laughed at him.

"But… I'm not…" Tatsumi said, in a tone that felt like all his hopes and dreams weree crushed. "Ahem! Anyway, this here is Silver." He presented.

"Hey!" Silver greeted cheerfully.

"He's here to become a God Eater." Tatsumi finished.

"Another one? Alright. I'll let the Director know. He should be done with the other one."

"Another recruit?" Silver asked.

"Yes, we've already had someone else recruited today." Hibari said. "He should be done having hiss armlet put on." A message alert appears on Hibari's monitor. "Oh, that's the director. He say's get his info and send him in." Hibari hands Silver a clipboard and pen. "I'm going to have you fill this out. It'll then be stored into our database as soon you get your armlet, OK?" she says cheerfully.

"K." Silver replies as he starts filling out the sheet. It was simple things like Name, Code Name, preferred fighting style, experience, and weapon type. "Hey, Tatsumi." He addressed, "what's the difference between the Short word and Long Sword varieties."

"short sword is the size of that one you have right now." He explained. "Its what I use, too."

"ooh! OK!" he said as he checked the "short sword" box. He finished the form and handed it to Hibari.

"Alright, alright! We're all set!" she said. "I'll let him know you're coming. Tatsumi, can you take him _there_?" She politely asked.

"Sure. Cmon Silver." The two walk back up the stairs to the elevator to tbe right of two of the terminals. "Hey Hibari!" he calls out. "How about dinner tonight?"

Hibari lets out a laugh, taking his offer as a joke. "would you get going?"

Tatsumi sinks in grief and sighs. "shot down again…" he shrugged it off. "Let' Go." He said to Silver as they proceed to enter the section elevator. As they entered, Tatsumi pressed a button labeled Laboratory. Silver felt the elevator ascend as he felt his body become heavier. After it stopped, everything felt normal again and the door opened to a hallway. Tatsumi once again prompted Silver to follow him. As they walked down the hallway, a voice could bee heard around the corner behind them.

"We need to get her to the imfirmary! Quick!" a voice said in haste. From around the corner emerged two people who appeared to be medics rushing a rolling bed with an injured poerson. down thee hallway. Tatsumi and Silver step to the left of the hall as they lwt the doctors pass with the injured. As they pass Silver, he sees that the patient is aa young woman, about his own age, with pink hair that,has been messed up likely from battle damage and blood flowed down from her forehead. She groaned in pain as tbey stop at a door labeled "Infirmary".

Silver watched in vein as tbe doctors opened the infirmary door andd rolled the girl through. Silver clenched his fist, which Tatsumi noticed. "Don't worry" he assured Silver, "She'll be fine. The doctors here are outstanding."

Silver lossened his fist and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Anyway, lets get you in there for your armlet." Tatsumi said as he directed Silver to the door across from the infirmary. As they teached the door, Tatsumi press a button to open it. Beyondd it was a dark room with some kind of mechanism in the middle. "Alright, this is as far as I go." Tatsumi says. "Fair warning:it hurts like hell."

"Right. Thanks." Silver nods to him as he enters the room and the door closes behind him. He gazes around the room until a deep sophisticated, masculine voice speaks up.

"terribly sorry to keep you waiting." The voice speaks. "Allow me to bid you welcome to humanity's final fortress, the stalwart bastion of Fenrir."

Silver looks up to see the source of the voice; a middle aged man with,long blond hair in a whitee coat that went down to the bottom of his legs.

"In this chamber, we shall test your compatibility to join the Anti-Aragami Purgative Force: the God Eaters" he continues. "please, do try to relax. I assure you, there is nothing at all to fear." Silver walks towards the center of the room where the device is located. "when your ready, place your wrist in the the midde of the device at the center of the room."

Silver inspects the macbine. He notices a space on the bottom of it in the shape of a half circle. _In here?_ He thought. He placed his wrist in ths space as the man instructed. When he did, je grabbed hold of a handle of what looked too be one of the God Eaters weapons. Umexpectedly, the top half of the device crashes down on his wrist, with another space on the top. "GGYYAAAAAHHHHHHHH" Silver cries in pain. Mustering up some courage, a look of determination appears on his face. It felt as if the divice was pumping something into his wrist and sewwing it onto his body. After moments of excrutiating pain, it eased to a stop. Silver heavily huffed in relief. The device rose back up, and when Silver looked his wrist to see what was done to it, je saw a large red ring around it. With the handle of the sword still in his hand, he lifted it yp and admired it. "Is this…. Mine?" Suddenly, from out of the sword came what semmed to be a black tentacle. The end of It crawled Into the hole of Silvers newly aquired bracelet.

"Well, congraduations are in order!" thee man from before spoke. "for being our first ever compatible New Type."

' _New Type'?_ Silver repeated in his head.

"You are now… a God Eater!"

To be Continued in Chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3: The Doctor will See You

Hello everyone! Welcome to tbe next chapter of GE: Silver. As usual, i dont own any of these characters except for my Protagonist, Silver. The rest of the cast is owned by Bandai Namco. Be sure to leave me some feedback, and enjoy!

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Chapter 3: The Doctor will See You Now

"Congratulations are in order! You are the very first of our 'New-Type' God Eaters. Brilliant!" the Man in the white coat praised. "You have passed the test, and well!"

Silver continued to listen to the man speak, while asking self, _what's this about 'New Types'?_ The man continued to speak.

"Now that were sure that you're a God Arc match", he began, "well have to be sure of your welfare with a short physical. If you could, please place the God Arc where you found it, take a uniform from the shelf on the side, and wait outside in the lobby." He instructed. " The doctor will see you shortly. Feel free to put on your recruit uniform and please inform anyone if you are feeling unwell." After he bent down to take a uniform of his size from the shelf below, Silver turned to exit the room. As he approached the door, the man said more thing. "I have high hopes for you… Silver Usugiri!"

When Silver exited the room, gazed around. "I should find a restroom to change into this in." he decided. He shook his arm which he had his bracelet glued onto, due to the lingering pain. "Man, that hurt like a bitchtit!" Just then, a doctor came from the elevator from the corner of the hall. "Excuse me", Silver pardoned him, "where can I find the nearest bathroom?" he asked politely.

"Down the hall around the corner", he answered.

"Thank you!" Silver said to the doctor with a big smile. The doctor then proceeded too enter the infirmary. As he started to walk to find the restroom that the doctor spoke of, he looked back at the infirmary door. He thought about the girl that had been rushed there. _That girl… She opened her eyes and looked at me. She looked so… sad._ He thought with sorrow. Then, a voice echoed in hid head.

 _Don't worry, she'll be fine. The doctors here are outstanding!_

"Yeah, she'll be ok", he repeated. "Now, lets go find a place to change. Silver walked down the hall and around this corner. After a short walk, his came across a restroom and entered the Men's section. When he entered, he saw a few showers with decent amounts of space in them, several stalls for toilets, and all in all, the place was kept quite clean.

He went into a stall at back of the room, which had plenty of space in it. Silver removed his sword and its holster from his back, as well as the beat up backpack he carried. He tried to take off the torn up shirt, but then it occurred to him what had recently been installed on his wrist. "Oh wait….." he said to himself as he reminded himself of his new permanent body part. Silver had no choice but to tear the shirt off of him, and what a tedious task it was. After his… battle, he threw the torn shirt in the garbage can in the stall. _I liked it, but its covered in holes._ He took his God Eater uniform from its protective bagging and held the over jacket up to get a good look at it. "Blues not my color, but hey! This is nice!" he then came to a dilemma: "So how the hell do I put this on?" he asked in rage, cursing his bracelet. he sat his new jacket down and examined the white undershirt that came with it. Luckily, the sleeves were wide enough to where he could try to squeeze the right arm through. As he forced his bracelet arm into the shirt, he noticed it stretched out, making it easier to put on. "Huh. Must be made of some stretchy material." He observed

"Well _that_ makes it easy."

Also in the bag, he found a new pair of pants that were luckily about his size. "I'll get rid of these, too." He said observing this hole-ridden bottoms he currently wore. After taking off his boots, which still had _some_ durability left, he removed the leggings he had on and replaced them with his newly acquired ones. He put his boots back on, forced his recruit jacket on his torso, strapped his sword back on, and headed back out to the hallway.

Silver proudly walked down the hallway to the elevator. When he entered the elevator, he pressed the button labeled "Entrance". Be felt his body get lighter as the elevator descended. When he reached the bottom, he felt his body seem normal gain and walked out of the elevator. He looked around the Lobby until he saw a young man sitting on a cushioned seat smacking on what Silver assumed was gum. _Ill go say hi to him_. The boy wore the same uniform as Silver and had orange-reddish hair. "Um… hi" Silver greeted the boy.

"Sup!" he said in an upbeat, friendly voice. Silver sat down beside him. "Hey, you want some gum?"

 _Gum? I've heard of that before._ "Sure, please!" Silver energetically replied. "I've actually never had gum before. I've always wanted to try it."

"Alright, gimme a sec!" the red headed boy said as he began digging through his pocket. "Aw dangit!" he said as he head sunk. "Sorry! It's gone!" he apologized in a panic. "I must've downed my last piece! Dammit, I should by bigger packs!"

"Hey, its cool!" Silver assured, trying to calm the redhead down. "there'll be other gum."

"Alright." The boy said as he leaned back on his arms. he faced Silver again and held out his hand. "Kota." He said.

"Huh?"

"My name. Kota Fujiki." The redhead clarified, still holding out his hand.

Silver returned a smile and shook his hand. "I'm Silver. Silver Usugiri!" he greeted in a friendly manner. "Its awesome to meet you, Kota!"

Kota sparked a conversation "So, you're a match, too?"

"Yep. I heard there was another recruit today." Silver replied. "Guess that'd be you?"

"Uh-huh!" Kota answered. "How old are you, anyways?"

"I'm 19."

"oh, wow!" Kota exclaimed. "I'm only 15."

"Jeez your young!" Silver yelled in surprise.

"Heheh! But still I've got a bit on experience on ya!" Kota said rubbing the bottom of his nose with a single finger.

"if you say so!" Silver joked with him. The two then laughed out loud. There laughing was interrupted by a deep feminine voice.

"Stand." The two newbie God eaters look up to see a tall woman in a tight white suit with black hair holding a clipboard.

"fmih?" Kota says.

"I said stand and to attention! Now!" the woman commanded, nearly yelling. Silver stood up in a straight upward, soldier-like position. Kota did the same thing, only he had his head almost straight up and his chest puffed out. "That's more like it." She said. "I've got a busy schedule, so ill keep this quick. My name is Tsubaki Amamiya, but you will address me as Major Amamiya." The woman continued. "I am the Superior operator of the Far East Branch and _your_ advisor. Your schedule is as followed: you will report for a full medical checkup and then undergo a session of combat training. You will learn some basic battle strategies and tactics, as well as a brief overview of God Arcs and armament. If you are to stay alive out in the field, every order given by me will be followed without question". She instructed "Am i understood?"

 _Wow, that was a lot to take in,_ Silver complained in his head. He and Kota gave Tsubaki a stare.

"Am I Understood?!" she repeated, yelling.

"Yes, Miss Amamiya!" Kota and Silver said in unison.

" _Major_ Amamiya" she corrected.

"Yes major!" the recruits saluted.

"Hmhm…that's better." Major Amamiya says. "Now, as for your exams…" she begins. She looks toward Silver. "Lets start with you, shall we? You are to report to Doctor Sakaki's laboratoy and approximately fifteen-hundred hours." Tsubaki instructed. "Until then, you are free to take a look around the facility at your privilege. I welcome you to the Far East Branch, which we affectionately call "the Den". You are Dismissed!" she instructed, then left towards the elevator.

"Damn, she's scary!" Kota whispers as soon as Major Amamiya left the lobby.

"I'll say." Silver agreed. "Wish she'd close her shirt some."

"Well, she's the boss!" Kota said in defeat.

"Yep, cant argue with that!" Silver said. "I've got about twenty minutes until I've Gotta see the doctor."

"Alright, I guess I'll nap around here then." Kota turns to walk towards one of the seats in the lobby. "Great meeting you, Silver!" Kota smiled.

"Yeah, you too!" Silver returned. "I'm gonna head up there. Later Kota!"

"See ya, buddy!"

 _Buddy…_ Silver nods to Kota as he turns too the elevator. Before pressing the button, he realized that he didn't know where to go. "oops! I'll ask Hibari." He walks down the few stairs and approaches Hibari who is behind the front desk.

Hibari notices Silver put of the corner of her eye. "Oh, its you!" she exclaims. "Silver, right?"

"yeah." He confirms. "hey, can you tell me how to get to doctor…" he paused for a moment to remember the doctor's name. "… Sakaki's lab?"

"Of course!" She replied. "when you take the elevator to the Laboratory section, head straight down the hall passed the infirmary." She directed.

"Thanks, Hibari!" Silver bid here as he turned back to the elevator and waved her goodbye. He entered the elevator and rode back up to the Laboratory section then proceeded to enter Sakaki's lab. Said lab had plenty of paintings and artifacts such as old swords around the walls. At the center was a large set up consisting of two monitors. Sitting at the computer typing was an elderly man with a pair of glasses in black robe-like clothing. To his left was the man from the room where Silver acquired his bracelet. "Hmm. Didn't expect that!" the elder says in surprise. "You got here 358 seconds faster than I anticipated! Interesting." He continues typing away on his computers. "I am Doctor Paylor Sakaki, chief of Aragami Tech and R&D."

"My name is Silver Usugiri." Silver introduced formally. "Pleasure too meet you."

The Doctor stopped typing and looked at Silver. "Likewise. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the coming days." He told Silver. "Welcome aboard, Silver!" Sakaki resumed typing and focusing on his screens. "As you can see, I'm still a touch busy at the moment", he said. "Things to do, screens to watch!" he said in a hurry. "Um.. Johannes!" he addressed, "why don't you do your speech thing then I'll go."

The blond man in white smiled "Sure." he said, "But, Doctor. I think its high time you learned to prioritize between work and personal research." He taunted. His comment made Silver chuckle. The blond turned to face Silver. "Thank you for taking part in the Aptitude Test." He said appreciatively. "I know it wasn't pleasant."

"Yeah, it hurt like a bitchtit…" Silver mumbled as he shook his wrist. _Crap I said that out loud!_

"Pardon?" the blond gentlemen inquired.

 _Oh thank God, he didn't catch that. "_ It hurt. Like, a lot." Silver remarked.

"Well, you get used to it. My name is Johannes von Shicksal." He introduced. "I am the Director of the Far East Branch."

"Nice to meet you!" Silver politely said.

"Likewise, and once again, congratulations on your acceptance." He told Silver again. " know you shall do great things in your time here.

"Don't let his speechifying fool you." Sakaki butted in. "he's an ex-tech guy. No doubt the New-Type exams are calling to him.

"Ex-tech guy"? Silver repeated in a chuckle.

"Do recall that I hung up my lab coat seeing as we have you, doctor." The Director reminded Sakaki.

"Ha-ha, once a scientist, always a scientist, Johan!" the Doctor fired back.

 _They must be good friends!_ Silver thought as he continued giggling to himself at the two elders bickering.

"Perhaps…" Johannes agreed. "In any case, let me continue my speechifying. The Fenrir Corporation has many goals in which you now play a critical role." He explained in a serious tone. "As simple as your duties are, they are vital. God Eaters hunt down and destroy Aragami, and collect the materials and cores that remain in their bodies. These cores and materials help maintain this base and supply the upcoming Aegis Project."

"What's Aegis?" Silver puzzled as Sakaki butted in once more.

"These numbers!" he exclaimed, "there's no way they can be right!"

"The Aegis Project", the Director continued, ignoring Sakaki, "will defend all of humanity. An fortress at sea impenetrable by Aragami, located at the deepest part of the Sea of Japan."

"All of humanity?!" Silver exclaimed with a hopeful tone.

"Yes. Once Aegis is complete, people will be able to live peacefully again, safe from the monsters." Director Shicksal as Sakaki interrupted once again.

"Ha-ha! Amazing!" he marveled , "the New Types are a miracle!"

"Paylor! I am _trying_ to teach something!" Johannes scolded.

"Heheh, sorry!" Sakaki apologized. "It just, these readings are off the charts, beyond anything we could have hoped!"

The Director smiled at Silver. "Well then, it seems humanity's future is in good hands!" he stated. "I know you'll do us proud!"

"Alright!" Silver replied with confidence. "Ill do my best!"

"On that note", The Director started, "I will take my leave. I place you in the doctors… capable hands." He hesitated. "Be sure to send me the results, Doctor." He told Sakaki. With that, he exited the room as Sakaki waved him goodbye, leaving just Silver and the Doctor.

"I believe we're ready to begin." Sakaki told Silver. Could you remove that… sword of yours and lay down on the bed there?" he instructed. "

Silver backed up nervously. "Uhh, what are you gonna do to me?!" he asked in a skittish tone.

"Please relax, there is nothing to worry about." Sakaki assured Silver. "I hope you will trust me."

 _Trust…_ Silver exhaled to calm himself down, which seemed too help. He gave Sakaki a light smile. "Yeah, I'll trust you. I was told that the Doctors here are good." Silver unstrapped his sword from his back and leaned it against a wall. He then proceeded to lay on the bed as Sakaki instructed.

"Great! Now when The exam begins, you will feel drowsy, that's normal." Sakaki stated. "When you wake up, you are your belongings will be in your new living quarters."

"Ooh! I finally get my room?" Silver asked in excitement.

"Yes. It will be a… cat-nap, so to speak." Sakaki continued. "It wont be more than a few hours, 10800 seconds at most." Sakaki estimated.

"Sounds good!" said Silver in agreement. "I could use some shut-eye." He laid on the bed awaiting the 'exam' to begin. _What the bitchtit is a cat?_ Doctor Sakaki entered a command into his computer to began Silver examination. He felt himself being forced to drift asleep as the Doctor said would happen.

As he fell into the abyss of dreams, Silver found himself in a greyish cloudy space. _Where am I._ He looked around to notice a tall figure with long silver hair and a black bandana. "Silver gasped. "Bro?" he rushed toward the figure. As it turned around to face him, the figure dissolved before. "Huh?!" Silver stopped to take another look around.

"You couldn't save him then." A voice said from behind. Silver tried to face it, but no one was there. "And you can't get vengeance." It taunted.

"Dammit!" Silver cursed as he faced the non existent ground. He looked up to see many innocent people dead on the ground.

"All you are…"

"Shut up!" Silver begged

"Is an empty existence!"

"SHUT UP!" Silver screamed. Just then, the dull abyss was changed into a bright white erie, bit peaceful space. As Silver struggled to catch his breath, another familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Hey, buddy!" Silver turned to see Kota with his cheeky smile. "Why so down?"

"There's nothing for me." Silver answered with sorrow.

"Then start looking!" Tatsumi said as he appeared from the white.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Lindow's voice asked as he appeared. "Or have you found it already?" he continued, lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah…" Silver raised his head and faced the group that appeared before him. Behind those three, stood a forth in the distance, the silver haired from before. He was leaning against an invisible wall with his arms crossed. He got off the wall and started walking away. As Silver reached out to him in vain, the tall figure waved his hand up in a goodbye fashion. The rest of them turned around and did the same motion. "I'm not done existing yet." Silver said as his eyes shot open.

"Huh?!" he gasped as he quickly sat up from the bed. "Heh, dream." He gazed around the room he woke up in. To the right of his bed was a counter along the wall with several drawers along the side. To the right, a corner sofa close to a sink and kitchen space. "This is nice!" Silver said, admiring his new living space. Leaning against the wall to the side of the door was his large sword. He got up off his bed. And heard a voice from an intercom.

"Silver Usugiri, report to the training room immediately." Ordered Tsubaki's voice over the intercom. "Silver Usugiri to training immediately."

"Up and at it huh?" Silver complained. He then perked his head up, strapped on his sword and made his way to the training room. _It should be the same room I got my bracelet._ He rushed to the room as per the Major's orders. When he arrived at the training room, it was lit up, unlike when he came in the first time. He then heard Major Amamiya speak.

"Lets get down to it." She impatiently instructed. "I'm told you have some experience from outside, so I will start by gauging your combat skill." All of a sudden, 3 Ogretail Aragami appeared in the room. "These are simulated Aragami. These ones wont try to attack you." She explained. "Your God Arc is still being worked on. We use replicas in most cases, but you may use the sword you currently have. Understood?"

Silver nods in her direction. "Yes, ma'am!" Just then, he found himself in what appeared to be the Old City where he encountered the 1st unit.

"Excellent. Begin the simulation in 3…2…1… start!"

"Haaaahhh" Silver cried out as he drew his sword. He charged at one of the Ogretails and jabbed it and followed it up with a flurry of one-handed slashes. When it was on its last legs, Silver finished it off with a jumping uppercut. At the peak of his jump, he turned to another fake Aragami and slammed his sword into it. After landing, he held the sword back, rushed towards the remaining one and lunged it as he closed the distance between him and the monster, impaling it. The area returned to its original state and the Aragami disappeared.

"Not bad." Tsubaki plainly comments. "but anyone can slash a sword. Shall we turn things up?" Silver gives a cocky smile and chuckles.

"Let's do it!"

To be continued…

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Authors Note: So when playing God Eater Resurrection, i went to change my outfit and a question came to mind: how DO they change their clothing?! The material must be stretchy or something because they cant take the bracelet off! Let me know what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4: Training Days

All characters, except for my Protagonist, are owned by Bandai Namco. Please feel free to rate and review and all that good stuff. Enjoy!

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GE: Silver- Chapter 4: Training Days

In the training room, Major Amamiya had began gauging Silvers skills in combat. After killing 3 simulated Ogretails, Amamiya decided to crank it up a notch. "That overconfidence will get you, or worse, your teammates killed" she warned. "These next three will attack you. I want you to avoid there attacks unscathed and counter them." Tsubaki instructed.

"Yes ma'am" Silver said obediently. _She's right. Gotta take this seriously._ Silver assumed his battle stance, holding his blade in 2 hands rather than one.

"Begin in 3…2…1!" Amamiya commanded. One of the fake Aragami charged at Silver. He assumed a blocking position, with the tip of the sword facing downward. As the Ogretail rammed into the massive blade, Silver timed its head-butt by shoving himself against his own sword, causing the monster to stagger backwards. Using this as his opening, he attempted to rush the monster with a counter, but a second Aragami lunged at him. With no time to think, Silver dashed to the side and spun himself to keep from tripping. "Dammit." He cursed. As the third one came charging, he jumped into the air almost 6 feet into the air. When he realized just how high he'd jumped, Silver was astounded by his new athletic abilities. He corkscrewed in the air to get back on his feet. "This is my new strength?" he struggled to fathom. As one of the Ogretails charged his again, he slashed diagonally upward, halting the Ogretail in its tracks. Instead of finishing it off, he stood his ground.

"Hmm…" Tsubaki said, observing Silver's test. "Instead of recklessly finishing it off, he got back into a defensive position. Interesting." From behind Tsubaki, a door was heard sliding open. "You weren't wrong." Tsubaki told the one approaching her.

"What'd I tell ya, sis?" Lindow replied. "Kid's got skill."

"Don't call me that on duty", the Major ordered. "Or I'll restrict you from beer rations." She threatened jokingly. She went back to spectating Silver, who was still holding his own against the Ogretail, and had managed to kill one with a counter. "I've given him instructions to take them out with counter attacks only."

"Any issues so far?" Lindow asked. "Besides trust issues?"

"Well, lets just say it pays to survive outside the wall." Tsubaki explained. Silver had just avoided an Ogretails bite by dashing backwards and killing it with a jab. "He's quick to adapt to situations, and he's learning of his new enhancements as he fights."

"You think he'll be ready to head out into the field soon?"

"Perhaps…"

"Alrighty then." Lindow chuckled. "I'm gonna get. Have fun!" He joked as he left the room.

Just then, Silver made an attempt to dodge an enemy attack, but in mid dodge, he saw a woman and her child being approached by a larger Aragami. "No!" he cried as he rushed to her aid. He jumped into the air to attempt a slam on the ape-like Aragami, but it slapped Silver from the air with its tail. After crashing to the ground, Silver picks himself up only to see thee Aragami devour the woman and child. A look of horror remains static on Silvers face. From the corner of his eye, the last Ogretail had jumped at Silver. Before he could react, the city was turned back into the normal training room the Aragami dissolved. Silver fell to his hands and knees and began gasping for air. _They'r_ e _not real… they're not real… its fine,_ he assured to himself.

"well, that's a pathetic way to die." Major Amamiya said to Silver. "That's enough for today. I'm sure you're hungry. Our cafeteria is through a set of doors in the lobby." She directed Silver.

Silver nodded to Amamiya and said, "Thank you, Ma'am." He picked up his sword and began to trudge his way too the exit.

"Usugiri!" she addressed to get his attention.

"Yes Major?"

"… Forgive me for that _stunt_ I pulled." She said apologetically. "I wanted to see how you'd react to people in danger."

Silver, to Tsubaki's surprise, gave her a smile. "No problem, ma'am!" he then continued out the exit and headed toward the elevator.

After seeking directions from Hibari, Silver found his way to the cafeteria. When he arrived, he could see plenty of wide tables for eating as well as many other God Eaters chatting and consuming meals. Upon further observation, he saw a line of people waiting to be served food. "Is that the line for food?" He asked himself before hearing a familiar voice from behind.

"Silver!" he turned around to see Tatsumi walking towards him.

"Tatsumi!" Silver greeted back. Then walked into the line to get something to eat. While waiting, they chatted about things that happened during that day.

"So, how'd training go?" Tatsumi asked. "Did you get to try out your God Arc?"

"No, I haven't gotten it." Silver answered. "As for training, I don't think I did to well." Silver then examined his bracelet. "It's like my body's been enhanced in the athletic department."

"Yep, that's one thing that happens when you become a God Eater." Tatsumi explained. "Your body becomes more durable and heals faster, and also enhances your physical abilities thanks to the Oracle Cells."

"Oracle Cells…" Silver repeated. "Oh, you were right by the way!"

"About what?" Tatsumi inquired.

Silver held up bracelet hand and pointed to it with his other hand. "Ooowwww". He said with a smile. When the two got to the front of the line, Silver began examining the menu. "Lets see, what do they have?" He then saw something that caught his eye on the list of foods served. "Corn on the cob…" he read, almost drooling. "Sir!" addressed the man from behind the counter. "May I have 2 corns on the cob, please?!" he requested hastily.

"two?!" Tatsumi exclaimed

"Absolutely!" the man behind the counter said. "that'll be six hundred Fenrir Credits."

"WHAT?!" Silver face palmed. "I've got no money!"

"Oh, yeah! He's a recruit." Tatsumi reminded the man behind the counter "He should be free of charge."

"Oh, well in that case, never mind." The cashier said. "one minute please." The man handed Silver a plate with two cobs of corn as well as prongs to hold it. Tatsumi decided not to eat anything, and just sat down beside Silver. Right when the two sat, Silver began devouring his corn like a starved Aragami. While eating, a blissful expression remained on his face.

"Jeez, its like you haven't eaten for days!" Tatsumi observed.

"I haven't" Silver replied with corn still in his mouth. "I've lived off of water for the past few days. And besides, I love corn!" As Silver finished his first cob, he turned to Tatsumi. "Hey man, thanks for your help today." He thanked him.

"Aww, no biggie." Tatsumi humbly replied. "Just helping out a comrade."

Finishing off his 2nd piece of corn, Silver stood up. "Alright, I'm gonna hit the hay!" Silver told Tatsumi as he stood up. "Later!", and with that, the two said their goodbyes and Silver took his leave. He made his way to through to lobby and up too the living quarters he had awakened in on the Rookie Floor. As the elevator started to ascend, it stopped on the Laboratory rather than the one he picked. When the door opened, Silver saw familiar face outside. "Kota!" Silver said with excitement. Kota had a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Oh. Hey, Silver." He halfheartedly greeted.

"Are you alright?" Silver asked with deep concern. "What happened?"

Kota let out a sigh. "Training just sucked is all." He replied.

"Oh. Sorry." Silver apologized.

"Its fine." Kota replied. He perked up and turned to face Silver. "Hey! I wanna show you something!" Kota said.

"Um… ok?"

"Cool! Follow me!" The two exited the elevator on the Laboratoy floor. They turned the corner and approached a door labeled God Arc Maintenance/Storage "Hey, Licca!" Kota said as he walked through the door. In front of them was a young girl in a dirty tank top with greyish hair. As Kota addressed her, she turned around to face him and Silver. The girl also wore a pair of red goggles over her eyes, which she moved to the top of her head when she turned around.

"Oh, Kota!" Licca addressed in surprise. "Didn't you leave a bit ago?"

"Yeah I know, but this here is Silver." Kota introduced.

"Hey." Silver waved.

"I was hoping he could see _his_." Kota said.

"Sure thing!" Licca smiled. "I just finished making the final tweaks." Licca prompted Silver to follow her, with Kota tagging along. She led them to a terminal with a large circular slot. "Her, place your armlet in here." Licca instructed. As Silver followed her instruction, a large case rose from behind the terminal. When opened, inside was a large bladed weapon with a silver colored blade, what looked to be a hidden gun, and a black space near the handle that looked organic-like.

Looked at it in awe. "Isn't this…?"

"Yep!" Licca interrupted, "Your God Arc! The first of its kind in, the Far East Branch!"

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning too ask someone!" Silver remembered. "What does 'New Type' mean?"

"What?!" Licca shouted. "You your our first New Type, and you don't know what that means?!" she took a moment to calm herself. "Where as most God Arcs are either a blade or a gun", she began, "New Type God Arcs can switch between both modes on the fly."

"No way…" Silver awed.

"Yep, ands its got some other features, but I'll let you discover them for yourself." She let out a long yawn and stretched her arms upward. "Alright you two, I'm gonna get to bed." She told Silver and Kota. "If your ever having God Arc trouble, let me know, OK?"

"Gotcha!" Silver nodded. "Thanks, Licca!" As Silver began to walk out the exit of the lab, Licca spoke up.

"Hey, um, Silver?" she addressed.

"Yeah?"

"Can I…. borrow that big sword?" she asked nervously. "Just to do some examinations."

Silver continued facing the exit and lowered his head. "Sorry." He says coldly. "Out of the question." And with that he took his leave, with Kota following close behind him.

"Wait, Silver!" Silver heard Kota say as he approached him. "Why'd you do that?!" Kota questioned with a hint of anger. "She just wanted too look at it!"

Silver looked away from Kota as He answered. "Sorry, this sword is precious. I cant just trust a total stranger with something like this!" he said, nearly yelling. He let out a sigh to cool his anger down. "I'm sorry, Kota."

Kota gave him a sympathetic look. "What exactly have you _been_ through?" he asked with concern

"I… don't want to talk about it." Silver answered, looking like he was fighting back tears. "Something that made me lose faith in people."

"OK then. I wont make you talk." The walk from the Laboratory to the Rookie Floor was almost silent. Silver simply walked with a stern expression, and Kota a worried one. _I wish I could help him._ Kota spoke in his mind. _He's so friendly to people, but he can't trust them._ Kota let out a heavy sigh as the elevator door opened to the Rookie Section. "oi. What a long day." Kota sighed as they walked down the hall. "My rooms at the end of the hall", Kota informed Silver with a smile. "How bout yours?"

"Same." Silver replied. As they approached the end of the hall, Silver unlocked the door of the room at the middle, and Kota, the one to the right side. Silver noticed Kota still to the right of him. "Hey, I guess we're next door neighbors!" Silver said.

"heh, guess so!" Kota agreed. "Alright, night man!"

"Yeah. Good night." Silver returned. He walked into his room, unstrapped his sword, untied his bandana and collapsed onto his bed. He pondered door a while about all he had seen and done that day. He recalled the help given to him by Tatsumi and how friendly Kota had been to him. He also recalled Lindow and his unit going out of their way to give him a ride to the Branch. _I wonder… maybe I really can trust the people here._ Silver wondered. _But… back then…_ He let out a sigh, halting his thoughts. He took a look over to his brothers sword he had inherited. "I should apologize to Licca tomorrow." Silver told himself as his eyes shut and he drifted to sleep.

The Next Morning-

As Silvers eyes shot open, in no time at all did he put on his uniform, tied his bandana on, grab his Sword, and hightailed it to the lobby. He rushed down to the counter where Hibari was sipping a cup of coffee. "Hibari!" he hastily addressed.

"Hm? Oh morning, Silver." She greeted with slurred words.

"Do I have a mission today?" Silver asked with anxiety, "am I late?!"

"Silver", Hibari giggled, "no one else is up till about 7, and we done depart for missions until at least 9." She explained.

"well… what time is it?"

"it is…. 5:09."

"oh…"Silver said. . "Well… is the training room open?"

"Um… I guess, but you'll need a second person to operate the simulations." Hibari explained as another voice butted in.

"I can do that!" Silver and Hibari look to see Licca walking out of the cafeteria holding a mug of coffee.

"Licca!" Silver exclaimed. _Awesome! Now I can apologize._ "do you think you could lend me a hand?" he asked.

"Of course!" she replied with an upbeat tone. "you gotta learn how to use your God Arc, am I right?"

"Right you are!" Silver agreed with a smile. His smile is soon replaced with a guilty look. "umm… Licca?"

"What's up?"

"I'm… sorry about how I left you last night." Silver said apologetically. "It... wasn't right."

Licca gave silver a puzzled look. "Your still sour about that? Its your sword, I cant make you let me see it."

"No, I mean _how_ I said it." Silver clarified. A sly smile appears on his face. "I mean, what kind of guy am I to reject the request so codly to a girl like you?"

Licca backs up nervously as her face becomes beat red. Her nervous expression turns into an agitated one. "Hmph, whatever, 'lady killer'", she says with her arms crossed. "Lets just go." Licca led the way as the two proceeded to the section elevator.

During the elevator ride, Silver spoke up. "Hey, sorry about that back there." He said awkwardly. "My older brother used to do that to literally every woman he met. He kind of rubbed off on me."

"Its fine. But whatever you do", she started with a look of utter seriousness. "don't ever do that to Major Amamiya." She warned. "You _will_ regret it!"

"Heheh, believe me, I've heard!" Silver laughed. The elevator door opened when it reached the Laboratory section. They headed towards the God Arc storage room to collect Silver's God Arc. When they got to the room, Silver placed his bracelet into one of the slots as per Licca's instruction. When he did, a case lifted from a nearby terminal as the message "God Arc Authorization Confirmed" appeared on the screen. He grabbed his God Arc from the terminal and headed back to the training room with Licca.

"So, how does it feel?" Licca questioned, referring to the God Arc.

"It feels… like I'm holding a sword." Silver replied humorously. "All joking aside, it… feels amazing, finally being able to hold one of these." He gave it a swing straight forward, being careful not to hit Licca. When they arrived at the training room, Licca took a flight of stairs up to the observation deck, and Silver walked into the lower part of the room.

"Alright, ready?" Licca asked him, receiving a nod back. "Alrighty, I'll just start you off with some Ogretails so you can get a feel for using a new weapon." Licca prompted 3 Ogretails to appear into the room. They stood idle, waiting to be attacked. "Alright, Silver. Have at 'em!"

Silver rushed the first Ogretail and destroyed it with a flurry of slashes, destroying it and proceeding to the next one without hesitation. Almost catching Silver off guard, the second Ogretail charged at him. Silver reacted by dashing to the side and countering with a series of jabs. Without breaking his combo, he continued attacking the final one, defeating it with ease. _It feels so good using it._ Silver said to himself.

"Alright, it looks like you've gotten used to fighting with it. Now lets move on to Devouring." Licca instructed. She made another Aragami appear in an idle state. "Silver, on the handle of your God Arc, do you see the two sections with the soft part in between?"

"Yeah?"

"To Devour an Aragami, grab each section with a hand each, pointed the blade at an Aragami, and simply pull them apart." Licca continued.

Silver placed each hand on the sections Licca spoke of and gave them both a pull. As he did this, from above the hilt emerged a large black sludge like organism. It rapidly grew in size and formed itself into a mouth, then chomped down on the simulated monster. As it took a bite out of the enemy, the large mouth retracted itself into the God Arc. Silver then felt a sudden surge of energy flow into him. He felt stronger, like he could take on waves of Aragami. "Ha-ha! This feeling!" Silver exclaimed. "I feel incredible!" Not much after that, the feeling of adrenaline gained from Devouring the Aragami faded away. "Huh? Where'd it go?" he asked himself. "Hey Licca, what was that?"

"That's what we call 'Burst'!" she explained. "Devouring an Aragami stimulates the Oracle Cells inside your body, and in short, increases your strength and athleticism for a short time." Licca then made another Aragami appear in the room. This was an Aragami Silver had never seen before. It floated about ten feet in the air, had a shell on its back, one huge eyeball, and was small with large breasts. "This is called a Zygote." Licca informed Silver. "Now, grab hold of the top section of the handle and push the other one in." When Silver did so, the blade of the God Arc morphed into what seems to be a large gun.

"Wooaaahhh!" Silver awed. Without any instructions, he open fired onto the new Aragami, causing it to fall to the ground. Rushing the fallen monster, Silver pulled the handle of his Arc out, change it back into a blade, proceeding to finish off the Zygote with a swift lunge.

"Hey, you catch on pretty quick." Licca complemented him. "Oh! One more thing: not only does devouring give you more ammunition, but it also absorbs Aragami cells to create a one use special shot."

"wow, that's handy!" Silver spent a few hours getting used to his new God Arc. He got the hang of switching between a blade and gun, using Devour, and taking advantage of his Burst abilities. He even figured out how to use the shield equipped to his God Arc. No telling when that would come in handy. After a while, Silver heard Hibari's voice on the PA.

"Silver Usugiri, please report to the Lobby right away." She said. "Silver Usugiri, please report to Lobby for mission briefing."

"mission briefing?!" Silver repeated with a hint of excitement. "Alright, take care Licca. Duty calls!" As he started to rush out of the training room, he stopped for a moment to think. He then turned to look towards Licca. "Hey, Licca?"

"what's up?"

"Later, maybe I'll let you look at my brother's sword!" Silver offered. He then proceeded to hurry to the lobby where Tsubaki awaited him outside the elevator.

"Private Usugiri." Tsubaki addressed.

"Yes ma'am!"

"You're being sent out into the field today." She informed. "Please speak to Hibari over at the front counter to register for your mission. Your superior officer will arrive shortly to join you. After registering, you'll wait for him to arrive and proceed for mission departure. Am I understood?"

"Yes Major!" Silver salutes. Tsubaki then dismissed him and he went over to the counter where Hibari instructed him on registering for missions. She explained that some missions have him assigned with certain other God Eater, while others allowed him to hand choose his assigned members if they're available. He registered for his first mission and then took a seat on one of the spots near the lower part of the lobby.

"Oh, Lindow!" Silver heard Hibari say. "The director told me that if I saw you, that he wishes to meet… with you."

"Awesome!" Lindow replied. "Don't tell him you saw me, then." Lindow walks up to where Silver was sitting and gave him a friendly smile. "Hey there, rook! Glad you could make it!"

"Lindow!" Silver addressed with a hint of excitement. "Does this mean your my superior officer?"

"Exactly!" Lindow started. "…on paper that is. But I never pay attention to that stuff, so neither should you."

"Um, OK?" Silver hesitated.

"In the end, I want to know that your someone who's got my back!" as he continues speaking, Sakuya approaches the two.

"Silver!" she greets, "I see you made it in!"

Silver lets out a prideful chuckle. "Looks that way!"

"yeah, and your totally ruining my big scary speech about our brutal coda, so shoo!" Lindow butts in.

"heh, yes sir. You're the boss, Sir!" Sakuya flirts as she walks away and waves goodbye.

Lindow turns back to Silver and scratches his head. "Well, now I lost my place. So… cool?"

"Yeah, were cool!" Silver replies.

"Good. Now then, today I'm sending you out into battle." Lindow informs Silver as he sees him tense up slightly. "I know that's scary, but look. I'll be right there with ya, got it?"

"Gotcha!" Silver answered as he stood up.

"Oh, look at the time!" Lindow says, looking at an invisible watch. "Its half past mission! Ready to go?"

A determined, yet confident look appeared of Silvers face. "Bring it on!"

End of Chapter 4

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Authors Note: This onee took a lottle longer than i wanted, but what are ya gonna do, right? Also, feel free to let me know if these chapters are too long or not long enough.


	5. Chapter 5: Hands On Experience

All God Eater characters except my protagonist and OCs. All GE characters are owned by Bandai Namco, with,whom i am not affiliated. Now, withoit further ado, please enjoy and feel free to rate and review and all that good stuff.

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GE: Silver Chapter 5- Hands on Experience

Silver and Lindow made their way to the Den Gate at the top floor of the lobby. Through the gate was long hallway with many small terminals. Lindow approached one of them, and a case rose up from behind containing his God Arc. Lindow's Arc was quite larger than Silvers, and had a chainsaw in the blade. Silver then proceeded to get his Arc the same way as Lindow. He led Silver down the hallway to find a helicopter waiting to dispatch them to the location for their mission. They climbed aboard the chopper God Arcs in hand and were then carried off.

The chopper ride to the mission's destination started out quiet until Lindow spoke up. "So, the place we're goin' is the same area we found you at." He informed. "Ya nervous, Silv? Can I _call_ you Silv?"

Silver laughed at Lindow's request. "Nah, I'm feelin OK. And call whatever you like, captain." He answered modestly.

"Hey, remember what I said? Forget the formalities!" Lindow said. "That's an order."

Silver lets out another laugh. "Alright, Lindow!"

"Now that's more like it!" Lindow states. "See? Ya just gotta relax and don't worry so much. Now then…" Lindow takes a more serious tone. "I've got 3 orders for you", Lindow begins, "Don't die", he counts on his finger.

"Ok."

"If your _about_ to die, frikkin run!"

"Yeah?"

"Lastly, Hide." Lindow instructs. "Well… not hide, but get to cover. Stealth wins fights."

"Umm… that's 4" Silver corrects him with a slight laugh.

"Wait, really? Crap! Well, long story short, survive." Lindow says. "Yeah, so lets call it one big rule: Survive. Think you can handle that?"

"Of course!" Silver replies with confidence. "I mean, I've been doing that for like, 5 years, soooo…"

"Well, then. Fair enough." Lindow remarked. When he looked outside he helicopter, he saw the same ruined city area that he and his team had encountered Silver. "Looks we're getting ready to land. Ready, kid?"

"I'm ready!" Silver answered. They exited the helicopter as it made its descent. Silver gazed around the decimated city from the small cliff they were dropped off at, taking in the devastation once more. _People used to live here._ His train of thought was interrupted when Lindow spoke up.

"Sheesh, this place has seen better days." Lindow said with gloomy tone. "Alright, Silv." He addresses as he turns to Silver. "Time to get some hands-on experience today. Remember my 3 orders?"

"Yep! Don't die, if your about to die, frikkin run! Lastly, hide!" He says, impersonating Lindow. "or, ya know. Find cover."

"wait, isn't that 4?" Lindow joked, mimicking Silver. "Oh! Here, take this." Lindow hands Silver a small ear piece with a button. He inserts it into his ear and a short static comes from it, followed by a familiar voice.

"Hey there, Silver." Hibari's voice said from the ear piece. "Looks like this is our first field Op together. I'm excited to be working with _you_."

"Likewise, Hibari!" Silver replied to her, holding the small button on the piece.

"Alright, kid. Were gonna be hunting little Ogretails today, 1 to be exact." Lindow briefed Silver. "Shouldn't be a problem, right? Nothing crazy or unexpected. Just stay calm, and everything will turn out fine and dandy."

"Gotcha." Silver replied.

"Ready to get this show on the road?"

"Yeah." Silver plainly answered.

"Sorry, what was that?" Lindow asked sarcastically, demanding a more enthusiastic response.

"I said…" Silver began, raising his voice. "Lets raise some hell!"

"Hell, yeah!"

The two jumped off of the cliff into the Old City ruins. Lindow allowed Silver to lead the way, thinking it would be good experience. After scouting through the area, Silver and Lindow spotted the target Ogretail wandering around a small building that resembled a storage unit across the church Silver rested in. Being careful not to be seen, Silver takes cover against a wall around the church corner. Silver peeked around the corner observe the Aragami. "There it is Lindow" Silver whispered. "Do we charge?"

"Now hold on", Lindow said. "We _could_ do that or-

"We wait for an opening and catch it off guard?" Silver interrupted.

"Bingo, now your up to speed. Lets tail him and see what he does." Lindow suggested.

"Gotcha!" Silver whispered as he turned the corner to see the monster walking into the ruined church. The God Eaters began to follow it, God Arcs at the ready. When they entered the church, Silver noticed the Aragami feeding on something from off the ground on the opposite end of the wide room. "There it is!" Silver whispered, making sure to stay hidden.

"Well, then." Lindow started. "Its cornered, what do you wanna do. Rush him?"

"I've got a better idea", Silver replied with a confident smirk. He then held the upper part of his God Arc's handle and pushed the bottom half in. The God Arc then morphed into its assault gun mode, earning a surprised look from Lindow. Taking careful aim, Silver fired a series of Blaze shots at the Aragami, catching its attention. As it began to charge at Silver, he switch his Arc back to Blade Mode and slid to dodge the Ogretails attacks. He then struck the monster with a combination of slashes and jabs. The monster stepped back and let out a fierce roar.

"The Aragami is activating, Silver!" Hibari warned from thee ear piece. "Stay on your toes!"

"Right!" Silver replied. He noticed the Aragami fighting more relentlessly, but saw this as an opportunity to use its rage against it. "Lindow!" Silver signaled as he dodged another lunge from the Ogretail. Lindow then attempted to strike the Ogretail, but it dodged and went for another charge at him.

Lindow activated his shield and blocked the attack. "Now, Kid!" he yelled. "Finish him!" _of course Im not gonna tell him I missed on purpose._

As per Lindow's directions, Silver impaled the Aragami with his Arc. As he pulled it out, the monster used its dying energy to attempt another charge. As it rushed towards Silver, he pulled both parts of the God Arc's handle out. "Here, take a bite!" Silver told his god Arc as a large black mouth emerged from it. The mouth bit down on the Aragami, crushing it into a bloody corpse. As the mouth retracted itself, it held a blue orb like object in it. "I… did it!" Silver stared in awe at the dead Aragami he had slain. "I killed an Aragami!"

"Nicely done, rook!" Lindow complemented. He loomed Silver in the eyes and took a serious tone. "Look. I don't just hand out complements to any new recruit. So when I say you moved well out here today, I _mean_ it!"

This caused Silver to blush slightly, seeing not many people had complemented him like that before. "Thanks, Lindow. I… don't know what to say." Silver modestly replied. He then hears a static in his ear.

"Well, well! Easy work of that one!" Hibari also complemented. "now, lets get you on a helicopter and headed home!"

"Thanks, Hibari!" Lindow said. During the walk to the rendezvous point, Lindow told Silver to keep an eye out for materials. As they approached the pick up point, Lindow spoke up. "Hey, Kid!" he addressed. "When we get back to the Den, wanna join me for an nice cold brew?"

"Huh?!" Silver gasped as he remembered a moment from his past.

" _Hey bro, whatcha drinkin?" a younger Silver asked. "Can I try it?"_

" _Sorry, Silver." A tall, long silver haired man with a bandana replied. He took another gulp from an aluminum can. "You can't drink this."_

" _Aww, why not?" Silver pouted._

" _Because your to young!" the tall young man replied sternly. As he saw Silver lower his head, he let out a sigh of guilt. He knelt down to Silver's level. "Hey, Silver. Can you make me a promise?" he asked with a loving brotherly voice._

" _Huh?" the young Silver puzzled. "What is it?"_

" _I want you to not drink this until your at least 21." The man told Silver._

" _21?! But that's so long!" Silver complained. His pout is replaced with a determined smile. "OK! I promise, Galen!"_

" _Hmhm, Great! As a reward, I'll let you smell the can!" the young man named Galen handed Silver the empty metal can. "Give it a_ good _whiff!"_

" _Fenrir Beer" he read as he observed the can, and smelled the inside as his brother allowed him. As soon as he sniffed the empty beverage, his face grew a look of disgust. "bleh!" Silver let out as he dropped the can and plugged his nose. He looked to see his older brother holding his gut laughing. Silver let out a growl. "Bro!" Silvers anger was suppressed when Galen placed his hand on his head._

" _Silver." He said in a loving voice._

" _Huh?"_

" _Silver." He said again. Silver noticed the voice begin to change._

"Silver!" Lindow heard Lindow shout.

"Huh?!" He said as if waking up. "Sorry, Lindow." Silver apologized with a smile. "I can't. I just remembered a promise I made."

Lindow shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so." The two jumped back up the cliff they came from at the start of the mission and boarded the chopper. On the way back to the Den, Lindow lit himself a cigarette to pass the time. "Hey, newbie." He spoke up, facing outside the chopper. "Nobody told me you were a New-Type."

"Um… Should I have said so?" Silver asks.

"Nah, just surprised is all."

Silvers POV

When we got back to the Den, Lindow and I put our God Arcs away and headed back to the Lobby. As I stepped into the lobby, Major Amamiya was waiting for me.

"Well well, hard at work already, I see?" she says to me. Was that a complement? I dunno.

"Yes, ma'am!" I reply.

"Anyway, I want you to report to Doctor Sakaki's Lab for your first lecture on Aragami." She ordered. "Kota Fujiki is already there waiting."

 _Kota's there?_ "Roger!" I nod. She dismisses me and walks away from me. I turn to Lindow and let him know I'm leaving. He waves bye to me as I enter the elevator to the Laboratory. As I enter the Laboratory, I see the Doctor and Kota waiting for me. Kota waves to me as I take a seat close to him.

"Ah, there you are!" the Doc said to me. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, so what do you say we just jump right in?"

"Do your thing, professor!" I tell him. I'm… actually kind of interested.

"Surely! Now, what do you think an Aragami is?" The professor asks us. I know it's a rhetorical question, but I answer anyway.

"Heartless monsters that eat, destroy, and kill everything." I answer in a fowl tone.

"Well… that's…true, in one sense." Sakaki agrees. "Anyways, lots of terms come to mind. 'the apex predator', 'devourer of mankind', 'Gods given flesh!' These are all correct, in a way."

"How?" I ask, paying attention to his speech.

"These phrases", he continues, "while dramatic, aren't misconceptions. Rather you can say they simply evolve from wonderment. The speaker clearly has their eyes fixed on the phenomena before them. _Phenomena?_ As if someone was so fascinated by Aragami that they give them exaggerated titles like that? Anyway, I let thee professor do his thing. "Today we are striving for a deeper answer. Tell me, have you ever wondered where Aragami come from?" He asks us.

"I asked _someone_ that before, but he didn't know." I chime in.

"History books tell us they just… appeared. As if from thin air itself. Since then, their numbers have continued to grow." The professor explains, pacing repeatedly from one side of the room to another. "Strange, isn't it? Its as though they are ripping through the very core of evolutionary process."

I look to the side as I notice Kota let out a heavy yawn. "Hey, does this lecture have an intermission? Or a _point_?" he whispers to me. We haven't even been here 5 minutes and he's already complaining? "I mean, our jobs to kill'em. Why does it matter where they come from."

"Oh it matters!" Sakaki's speaks.

"whoa!" Kota screams as the doctor seemingly warps beside him. "Like Silver pointed out, Aragami have no heart. Neither do they have a brain, or a digestive system or…. Spinal fluids! As frail as we humans are", he continued, "A powerful strike to the chest would cripple or even kill is!" When he said this, I feel myself tense up in anger, desperately trying to hold it in. _Strike to the chest._ "But no, that won't bring down an Aragami! Hm?" Luckily, Sakaki notices me quivering with rage. "Silver! Are you alright?" he asks me with concern.

I take a deep breath in and exhale it to calm myself down. I know the doc didn't mean anything by it. "I'm… fine." I reply. "I was just reminded of something that happened that relates to your statement." I explain.

He gives me a nod. "alright. Now, if I may continue. These beasts are clusters of Oracle Cells, each of which are a single cell organism of its own, ever devouring the others." He continues. I sort of understand, but Kota looks completely clueless. "Mad? Perhaps! But each Aragami is a colony of hundreds, nay, _thousands_ of Oracle Cells each striving to survive!"

"Ummm, I still don't get it." Kota admits.

"Its like this, Kota" I begin, "An Aragami is made of a crap ton of Oracle Cells. Those cells are like us, trying to survive in world the day we're born."

"That… kinda makes sense." He tells me.

"Right. And this dangerous, deadly fusion of cells cant be destroyed by conventional means" Sakaki says. "They are impervious to all assault." He turns to back to Kota and I. "So, how do _we survive?_ How do we defeat such a powerful predator?" He dramatically asks.

"umm… Well I know they die when we hit them a lot with a God Arc, or shoot 'em a lot with a God Arc, sooo…" Kota answers him. At least he gets that much.

"Precisely!" the professor chimes in. "A God Arc! A biological weapon infused with the same Oracle Cells in an Aragami's body!"

"So, only things with Oracle Cells can kill things with Oracle Cells." I conclude. "That's why,the Aragami can eat each other. So that mouth that comes out of my God Arc when I Devour; is that an Aragami?"

"Correct! They are the only weapon capable of cutting through their ever fusing Oracle Cells." Sakaki explains." But just cutting them down will do no good! The rogue cells with simply heal, grow or worse, form new monsters to be defeated!"

"Then how do we stop them for good?" I anxiously ask.

"There's only one way to ensure victory: extracting the core from its body. The cell that serves as a sort of control center." Sakaki explains. "But its quite a difficult task, to say the least. Even with the God Arcs, there's no way to deal such a devastating blow."

"Oh…" I sigh, disappointed. I was hoping for a way stop them for good, but they'll just keep coming.

"I think that's as good a place to hold for today. For homework, please refer to the NORN database for more information on Aragami." He instructs us. "Dismissed!" I get up from my seat and see Kota stretching his arms out. I start to follow Kota outside the Lab and wee head down to the lobby.

 _Only something infused with Oracle Cells kills somethin else infused with them_. I ponder. _So does that mean_ he's _still alive_? I tense up, fearing that _he_ was still out there somewhere.

"You OK, Silver?" Kota asks me, worried. "You're a little on edge today. What's up?"

"Not much", I vaguely lie. I don't want to worry Kota. My past isn't his problem. "I was just reminded of a few moments from my past today."

"What kind of moments?" Kota asks curiously. Does he seriously want to know that bad?

I let out a sigh. "Kota, I cant talk about it." I tell him. "I'm not ready."

"Oh, OK." He replies. "I was hoping I could help somehow."

"Thank you. I mean it." I put a hand on his shoulder. "The sympathy is plenty. You're a good friend, Kota."

His face lights up with a smile

"You… consider me your friend?!" He asks me.

"Of course I do." I reply. I struggle to think of something else to take about, but then a question pops into my head. "Oh yeah! Kota, what made you wanna become a God Eater to the point that you'd join so young."

"For my family." He answers in a more serious tone than the normal Kota. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my mom and sister." He looked towards the ground with the face of a sworn protector. I think i just started respecting him. He has something to figgt for, and I'm just... here.

"That's great Kota!"

We walked out to the Lobby from the elevator. Kota takes a seat somewhere as I walk over to Hibari's desk. "Oh, Silver!" she greets me with that smile of hers. It looks like her and Tatsumi had been talking. "Lindow said he wanted to speak you about your next mission." She informed me. I noticed Lindow A few steps away.

"K, thanks Hibari!" I say walking away. "Sup Tatsumi!"

"Hey!" he turns back and calls to me. "So Hibari, I made it back alive. How bout a date tonight." I hear him ask. He just doesn't give up!

I walk over to Lindow as he greets me. "Hey, there you are, Silv. Getting used to living here?"

"Yeah. Its nice to have a place to call my home." I answer.

"That's good. Anyway, moving right along." He continues. "For todays second mission, you'll be with Long Range Specialist Sakuya Tachibana."

"Oh, I get to work with Sakuya now?" I interrupt with excitement.

"That's right, you've met." Lindow reminds himself. "Anyway, she and I are old frienemies, but she's OK, so don't be scared of her." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Yes sir!" I salute, then turn to Hibari to register for my second mission of the day.

"Silver, you have an additional joint mission with Sakuya today!" she said energetically. "Sakuya… she's gorgeous, you know!"

"Yeah, I've met her." I tell Hibari. I put on my 'slick smile'. "Is someone jealous?" I notice her face turn redder than Tatsumi's jacket.

"N-no! I just… admire her beauty, is all!" she stammers.

"But what about _your_ beauty, Hibari?" Tatsumi chimes in. She's so flustered, she cant even handle it. After she gets her bearings, Hibari registers me for my mission and I apologize to her. I head up to the terminal to restock my items and head out to het my God Arc and board the Chopper awaiting me. After about 15 minutes, I arrive at the missions location. I hop out of the helicopter and walk to the edge of a cliff over looking a grassy plain, where I saw Sakuya waiting for me.

"Hey there, Silver." She casually greets me. I notice her cleavage bounce as she turns towards me. "Glad you could make it." She gives me a worried look and gives my shoulder a pat. "You look a little nervous. You alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." I stammer.

"Look, I know it sounds weird, but you've got to relax." She advises me. I take a deep breath and exhale. It seemed to help a little. "We don't want you freezing up out their!" her and I hear the cries of a couple Aragami. "Alright, lets get to the mission briefing." She says. "You've got the lead today. I'll be handling long range back up, so wherever you go, I'll follow."

"Gotcha!" I reply

"Oh, and don't go running off!" she warns me. "If you get to far, I cant cover you, so stay in my line of sight, and you'll be alright."

"Yes ma'am! I'll stay where you can see me."

"Alright then, where a team now, you and I. We look out for each other from this point on."

"All units are in position and awaiting the go code." I hear Hibari's voice in my right ear. "Sakuya, Silver, are you two prepared?"

"No problems here, Hibari!" Sakuya replies. "Lets get out there and win this!"

"Alright then! Lets get out there and show those monsters who's boss!" We jumped off the cliff and headed out to find the enemy. I went ahead and swapped my God Arc to gun mode. While running, I notice an egg like object on the ground ahead. As I got closer, about 50 feet away from it, I realized it was an Aragami. "Is that the target, Sakuya?"

"Affirmative!" she confirms. "First time fighting a Cocoon Maiden? Ill admit, they're a little scary."

"Really, how?" we stop to hide against a wall.

"They don't move, I don't know if they even _can_." She answers. "But if they catch a bead on you, they never miss. Watch your teams back, and never stop moving, got it?" she advises me.

"Gotcha! Ill be careful." I approach the Cocoon Maiden, firing Blaze Bullets at it as I close in, with Sakuya providing cover fire. As I get close, a bunch of spikes suddenly emerge from its body. I roll to get out of the way, but one of the spikes clip below my shoulder. It breaks off of the Aragami and I pull it out, which causes a sharp pain. Before I get spiked again, I jump backwards still in Gun mode, and bombard it with more shots. It falls in defeat and I switch back to blade mode and extract the core with a Devour. I feel the pain of the spike again as blood stains my uniform. It goes away however when it flashes green. "Huh? What was that?"

"That was a healing shot." Sakuya answered my rhetorical question. "You alright?"

"Yep, Lesson learned." I confirm. "Lets find the other one." After jogging around the area, we find the second one. I switch to my gun, but instead of running straight for it, I strafe around it and let some Spark Bombs loose on him. It staggers, then i swap to sword mode and finish it off with some jabs and a Devour.

"Yes! Mission complete!" Hibari says.

"Now I know why Lindow spoke so highly of you." Sakuya speaks up. "your never afraid to adapt and try new strategies. Never let go of that!"

"Thank you!" I say with gratitude. "That means a lot."

"Way to go, you two. There's a hot meal and a good nights sleep waiting for you!" Hibari chimes in.

"I've gotta get this washed." I tell myself as we make our way to the chopper. "Wonder what they're serving tonight! I hope they have corn again!"

"Seriously? That overgrown corn on the cob fiasco?"

"What's wrong with corn?!"

"Its so hard to chew!"

"Ah, but you see, you have to smother the uneaten cob with butter." I say, trying to sound like some connoisseur. "It then becomes sweeter, juicier, and even more of a delicacy!"

Sakuya, for some reason, giggles at me expertise on corn. "If you say so!" with that we arrive back at the start point, hop on the chopper and head home. I head to my room to put on a new jacket and toss my blood stained one in the laundry. I head down the cafeteria to grab myself something to eat. I ended up only getting one corn this time as I wasn't too hungry, despite going om two missions that day. A few moments after I sit down, I see a few individuals approach my table. One was a guy in a lime green hoodie and hat to match it with purple hair. The second, a young man with long blond hair and a pink dress shirt. And the third guy had silver hair and a purple eyepatch.

"So your that New-Type rookie huh?" the one in green says to me as his group sits at my table. "Names Shun Ogawa. Be sure remember who's senior and whose junior around here." He continues with a smug attitude.

"ok." I reply, still nibbling my corn.

"You know, its unprofessional to talk with your mouth full." The one in pink says. I put my corn down and swallow what I had. "Karel Schneider." He introduces himself.

"Pleasure. I'm Silver Usugiri." I politely introduce myself. Was that professional enough.

"Tell me, little one." The one in purple says with a… woman's voice? _I thought that was a guy!_ "Where ever did you get this big sword" she asks me. I completely forgot I had my brothers sword on me! "And this scar!" she continues. "I'm dying to here where it came from."

I shudder a bit, not wanting to tell my story. "Sorry, cant tell you." I deny her. I,wish she'd close her shirt, its not like there's anything to show off.

"Aww, your no fun." She wines. "Oh well, my names Gina. Pleasure to meet you." She gets up and leaves the room and her group does the same.

"Nice meeting you all!" I call out, only to get no response. I finish my corn, throw my scraps away, and head up to my room to head into bed. I,go ahead and set my Jacket to the side to wear it the next morning. I untie my bandana and unstrap my sword amd put them away. I drop onto my bed to get some shuteye, eagerly awaiting what's in store for me tomorrow.

End of Chapter. 5.

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Authors Note: i should point out that im gonna try doing this stoey from characters' points of view from here on.


	6. Chapter 6:Friends and Enemies

I don't own any characters in God Eater. They're all owned by Bandai Namco. Please feel free to rate and review. Please Enjoy!

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GE Silver Chapter 6- Friends And Enemies.

Silver POV-

I wake up to find that its about 7:30 in the morning. "Gah! I overslept!" I screamed. I tie on my headband, force my jacket on (stupid bracelet!), strap on my sword and head out too the lobby. As I exit the elevator, I notice its quiet in the lobby. I guess all mornings are like this. With the exception of a spot across from the Den gate by a sofa and coffee table. In that direction I see two of the people I met the night before; Shun and Karel I think, speaking to a young guy in yellow with a hat and orange hair. Wait, was that Kota? It to me, looked like they were being assholes to him. I approach them to see what the issue is. "Hey!" I call out. "What's the deal?"

"Ah, speak of the devil." Karel turns to me. "My young New Type." Was he mocking me? "I hear you have special powers. But outwardly, you just look like any other brat." This guys an ass, no question. Sure, I look young but really? "We were just explaining to this _child_ here who's in charge around here."

You know what? I can play this game. "really?" I sarcastically ask. "I don't see major Amamiya anywhere."

Shun scoffs at me comment. "Moron!" he 'insults' me. "he's talking about us!"

"Oh, OK." I retort. "So do you guys pick on _all_ the rookies or just the ones with cooler clothes than you?" looks like I managed to set Karel off. I'm good at this!

He scoffs at my comment. "Dressing the part is half the work!" he fired back. "You've gotta look professional in this line of work."

"Really? A street punk and a pretty boy?" That just about set them off ! "I didn't think the Aragami cared. Anyway, why are you guys picking on my friend?" I ask, taking a more serious tone.

"He needs to learn to respect his superiors." Shun answered. "How's a kid like him gonna make it as a God Eater?"

"So you think he'll do bad because he's 15? I think that's pretty brave of him, joining that young." I complement, defending Kota. "It doesn't matter how old he is. He fights for his family, so show him some respect, OK?" I say in a more friendly voice as I place a hand on Kota's shoulder

"Wait a minute…" Shun butts in. "Your Lindow's protégé, right?" he gets up and bows in a mocking fashion "please, forgive my rudeness!" he says in a mocking tone.

"What does going on a mission with Lindow have to do with you being jerks to my friend?" I rhetorically ask Shun. Just looking at this guy really ticks me off.

"Tch, whatever. Lets go, Shun." Karel demands as he turns his back on me. "We've got work to do." With that, they take their leave. Thank god.

"Well just don't call in sick this time." Shun fires back at him

"Man, I guess not everyone is friendly here." I observe. I hear Kota let out a growl.

"I bet they're the kind who bully rookies.", Kota said. "I'd hate to go on a mission with them!"

"Don't worry about them." I tell him, attempting to make him feel better. I turn towards him. "Oh, by the way Kota, that outfit…" I look at it to see the shirt go down to above his waist, with a black undershirt with a web like pattern exposing his stomach. The shorts it came with were black and orange that went down below his knees, and were unzipped there on each leg. He also had a small stripped scarf around his neck.

"You like it?" he asks as examines himself. "It's a present from my mom for becoming a God Eater!"

"It looks good." I complement him with a hint of sadness. It made me remember a bit about _my_ mother. I smile at Kota to hide my sadness. "Your mom is really crafty!"

"Thanks, Silver!" Kota said. "Alright, I've gotta head out on my mission. See ya!" He runs out the Den gate and waves back to me.

"I'll go see if I have a mission ready." I walk down the stairs to speak to Hibari, and sure enough, Tatsumi was chatting with her. I don't want to interrupt, but I needed to register for my mission. "Um, 'scuse me." I say.

"Do, you mind?" Tatsumi asks in a fowl tone. "I'm _talking_ to Hibari!" Wow. I know he's got a thing for her but, _rude._

"I'm sorry, Silver, I'm gonna be a bit." Hibari tells me apologetically. "Oh, by the way, Sakuya couldn't praise you enough! I think she's in her room on the Veterans Section." She informs me.

"Thanks, I'll be back in a bit for my mission!" I run up the stairs to the elevator and prompt it to go to the Veterans Section. I come to realize that I don't know which rooms hers until I see the doors labeled by last name. "Lets see… O'Mori, Schicksal, ah!" I say as I find room labeled 'Tachibana'. I knock on the door, but she doesn't seem to be in. Suddenly, I hear her voice in a nearby room. I close in to a room labeled 'Amamiya'. _The Major?_ I knock on the door am let in. To my surprise I see Sakuya and… Lindow?

"Heya rook!" Lindow greets me.

"Oh, Silver!" Sakuya addresses me. "Listen, good work yesterday. For our first time, that mission went smoothly and we were such a great team!" her praise felt good and all, bit I was just doing what I had to.

"Thank you, but I just did my job, nothing more." I replied.

"Well, don't get careless" she warns me, sounding worried. "Remember, being a New Type means worrying about using a blade AND a gun. But you seem to know how to swap between both pretty well!" I must have really done a good job to earn such praise. "And if you ever need help, let me shoot you a Recovery Bullet anytime"

"Gotcha! I let you know if I get impaled with a Cocoon Maiden thorn or somethin."

Sakuya laughs at my comment. "Right. You have my full support till you're a full-fledge God Eater!"

"Which probably wont be long." Lindow chimed in. "How are things?"

"Alright."

He looks at me with skeptical eyes. "Really? You look a little under the weather, champ. Not skipping meals, are we?"

"Umm, no sir!" I stuttered. "I'm… still a little tired is all. I'm not used to sleeping in so late."

"Sleeping in?!" He exclaims. "Its only 8:00!."

I laugh at myself, remembering that everyone's life here is different from the one I've lived for 5 years. "Well, I'm gonna head back out to the Lobby." I wave bye to Sakuya and Lindow. Hopefully Tatsumi's done chatting with Hibari. When I exit the elevator, I see him chatting to Hibari still. _Crap_ , I thought. I might as well sit for a while. After about 15 minutes, I find myself feeling more awake and I walk to Hibari's desk. To the left of it was a young guy with red hair and a vest exposing some Tattoos on his chest. He also had a pair of red sunglasses. "Hey, Hibari!" I greet her.

"There you are, Silver." She say, typing on a computer. "Lets see… Today your paired up with Eric and…" she pauses for a moment, "Soma…" why did she sound so worried?

"Hey, what's up?" the guy in the vest greets me. "I assume you're the new star rookie everyone's going one about."

"Guess that's me. I'm Silver." I casually introduce myself.

"I'm Eric. Eric der Vogelweid." He says. "Guess we'll be teaming up today."

"That looks to be the case. Hibari, are we good to go?"

"Yep, your registered and ready to go! Soma's already at the mission location" She informs us. "Oh, and Silver."

"Hm? What's up?" I ask.

"Tatsumi told me that if he didn't see you, he said he's sorry for how rude he was to you."

"Oh, tell him I said its fine." I request. I start to head out too the Den Gate. " Ready to go, Eric?" he nods at me and begins to follow me, but I stop and look back to Hibari. "Y'know… Tatsumi's a really great guy. You should give him a chance." I see she has a puzzled look on her face, then it quickly turned into a blush. Eric and I head out the gate and hop on a chopper after getting our God Arcs.

While on, the chopper, I chatted with Eric. He's a pretty interesting guy. He's part of a rich family close to the Den. He's got family to protect too, and uses his earnings from missions to buy things for them. "What about you?" he asks. "You got any family?"

"No, I don't anymore." I say sadly. I really don't want to talk about my family life anymore than I have to.

"Oh, I'm… so sorry." He apologizes.

"Thank you"

"anyway", Eric continued, trying to change the subject. "That sword…" he took a good look at it. "That's the sword from Final Fantasy 7, right?" As soon as I hear that, I feel like I've entered Burst. "I'm kind of a gamer myself."

I tell him about my family being a long line of gamers before the world got screwed over. I talk about how my sword was made and that its been passed down. "But, truth be told, I've never played a video game in my life." I admit.

Eric gives me a sympathetic look. I guess I'm really missing out. "I'll tell you what" he begins. "Later, sometime after today's mission, we'll hang out and play some video games, alright?" he offers me.

"We can do that?!" I ask with excitement. "I didn't think video games still existed these days."

"You bet they do! Fenrir has there own network thing where you can play old games and watch shows from way back when. They're little pricy, but you can buy devices to do so."

"Well then. I'll hold you too that." I say. I look out the helicopter to see us flying over what looms to be an old ship carrier of sorts. "So where the mission at today?"

"An old sunken factory." Eric replies. "I'm not really sure what it was ever used for, but how much can that matter? Anyway, there's a growing infestation of Ogretails and Cocoon maidens. Soma's doing recon right now." He informs me. After about 10 more minutes of flying, I notice the air get foggier and slightly colder. I see us approaching what looks to be the factory that Eric mentioned. "Hey!" he calls out to me. "You ready?"

"Yeah!" We spot Soma in an open space in the mission area. Without warning, Eric hops off the chopper into a halo jump. Hesitating at first, I go ahead and jump out behind him as I see him land safely on the ground. As I'm falling face first, I position myself upright so I land without going _splat_. I manage to land safely om the ground with Eric, and take a moment to catch my breath. I see Eric run towards Soma, and I stand up and do the same. The area around my es veey foggy, and i pipes all around.

"What's it look like, Somes?" Eric asks Soma.

Soma scoffs at what Eric addresses him. "Don't call me that." He orders. "It's not _as_ bad as we thought. We've got about 4 of each to worry about." he briefs us, or Eric I should say. It doesn't even look like he's acknowledged me yet.

"Think you can handle that big of a crowd?" Eric asks me

"Yeah." I reply, keeping an eye on my surroundings. "Everyone keep your eyes open. They could be anywhere!" I turn to Soma and he looks at me.

"So, you're one of us now." Soma says to me. "Welcome to this hellhole of a workplace, we've got fun and games." He says sarcastically with an extremely angry tone. All of a sudden, I find a giant God Arc being held towards my throat. "Heh, scared? What did you think it was gonna be?" Despite having a claymore to my neck, I don't show any fear. I know for a fact he's not gonna do anything. He lays down his Arc and turns away from me. "I'll keep this short. The two rules to staying alive out here; Keep your guard up and stay the hell away from me" He walks off without our consent. "Now lets get this over with. I'm not made of time."

"Wow." I whisper to Eric. "What an ass!" I begin to follow them to track down the horde of Aragami. We came to an area that had a ledge with a Cocoon Maiden on it. "Hey, I found one!" I tell the group. "I think I can take it!" I get the okay from Soma and swap my God Arc to the gun and approach it while firing Spark shots. I start by going straight, but remember what had happened yesterday, and begin strafing to the left. I manage to take it out, and we move on to find the rest of the Aragami. After about 10 minutes of searching, we track down the rest of the Cocoon Maidens and take them out in no time.

"Hostiles closing in!" we hear Hibari say. "There's…. Six of them?!" Just then, Ogretails came closing in on us from all side.

"Take two each!" Eric suggests as starts firing at the two approaching him.

I charge at two of the other ones, making the first move. As I attack one with some quick strikes, i see the other one try to lunge at me out of the corner of my eye. I slide back wards and go for a Devour, killing the one that attacked me. Using the shots I got, I open fire needles on the other Ogretail, easily killing it. I look to see Soma and Eric already done with their two Aragami.

"Wait, we won?" I asked. "And… we're alive?! This day is awesome!" I exclaim in a high pitched whisper. For a second, I wasn't sure we were gonna pull that off, but everything turned out ok.

Soma turns away from us. "All objectives complete. Send the chopper." He orders Hibari. He leads us to the exfiltration point and we wait about 10 minutes to board the chopper.

"It may be daring to say it" I begin, slouching in the chopper, "but I think we ruled. And I'm standing by it!" I felt proud of my work today. I think I'm beginning to get the hang of my job.

"Don't get cocky." Soma retorts at me. He sat across from me with his arms crossed and eyes closed. "Those monsters were pathetic. Their numbers meant nothing." He opens his eyes and looked me in the eye. "You're gonna get killed if you think it's that easy."

"Give him a break, Somes", Eric said in my defense. "He did good today. He kept his guard up and stayed aware of his surroundings." I feel at ease when Eric said I did good. Soma has a point though; I shouldn't let overconfidence get. The better of me. After bout twenty more minutes, I see us approaching the Den and ready myself to exit the chopper. "Hey", Eric says to me as we land. "I've got a second mission today, so we'll hang out later, cool?"

"Sounds good, Eric!" I reply. The idea that I'm gonna be just… hanging out with someone without a care in the world makes me excited to say the least. I also feel relieved learning that most people aren't as awful as I once was told. Maybe… I _can_ trust the people here. I start my walk down the hall, while Eric and Soma stay on the chopper. I check in with Hibari to see if I had a second mission, only for me to find out I had the rest of the day off. "Is Kota out?"

"Yes, he's out in the field on a mission with Sakuya. I breath, a small sigh of relief, knowing he was with her, given his… inexperience. Still, I was kinda hoping he would be here, but oh well. I decide to head over too the training room to keep my skills sharp. After a few hours while of practicing hitting moving targets with my gun as well as approaching enemies, Hear Hibari's voice on the PA.

"Silver Usugiri, please report to the lobby." She repeated a few times. Ii make my way to the lobby to find Kota and Lindow waiting for me. They were sitting on the sofa around by coffee table. Lindow was lounging with his arms resting along the back of the seat, with Kota to the left of him.

"Hey, guys." I greet them both "What's going on?"

"There you are rook!" Lindow said to me. "Come, take a seat." I Do as he says and sit down next to Kota, wondering what's up. "I bet your wondering why I've gathered you to here today." He said, building up suspense. "Its not a big deal or anything, but I just wanted to let you know that you two have officially been assigned to the First Unit." Lindow informed us.

"Are you friggin serious?" Kota exclaims. "The First Unit?! Aww yeah!" he jumps out of his seat, earning some looks from, nearby God Eaters. "You here that, Silver? This makes us teammates!"

"Sure does!" I reply, more composed. "I'm happy to serve alongside you both!"

"Kid, what do you think this is? The Army?" Lindow jokes. "Anyway, this makes us a team. I look forward to see how well you two work together. Alright, go do whatever." He dismisses us.

"Alright, I'm goin back to my room." Kota says as he gets up to do so. I bid Lindow goodbye once again and start to head back to the Laboratory section, but he halts me.

"Hey Silv!" Lindow says to me. "Glad to have you on board. Now… lets get you into something a little less… uniformy and more 'you'".

"More 'me'?" Lindow leads me to a terminal and had me put my armlet in. He directs me to the "Craft" section, followed by "Outfit Tops". He enters a code and a whole bunch of options came up.

"Pick what you want."

"Um.. Lindow, I appreciate it, but I don't have the materials for these." I notify him.

"Its OK, just look through them and tell me what you like." I browse the list for any clothing I may like. I see a line of hoodies, suits, thermal tops, and other things. I then come across one I really like.

"Wild Zoisite Top?" The model showed a long sleeved black shirt with a collar that stood up to my mouth. It was similar to what I wore before I came here, but had a black fuzz on the top of it, and exposed a small part of my chest. The inside was red with black lining. The sleeves went down to the top the wrist, and were also red. It also came with a black choker. "I like this, Lindow."

He takes a look at it. "Wow, that _is_ snazzy!" he says from another terminal beside me. Looking at the materials required to make it, I noticed what I need is sent to my storage, as well as 5200 Fenrir Credits. "Go ahead, get it. My treat." I go ahead and tap "Craft." I get a notification saying that I crafted the item. "A message will be sent to Licca with your sizing info and she'll make it for you. It'll take a little. Go ahead and find something for the other half."

I go to the 'Outfit bottoms section and browse it. I come across a set labeled 'Martial Pants.' The model showed a pair of red and black baggy pants with a flap in the front and straps on each, side that went from the front to back. They also had a loose belt attached to them with several small pouches. I show it to Lindow and tells me to get it if I want it. I noticed the required materials and credits transfer to me and I craft the Martial Pants. "Lindow, thank you so much!"

"No prob." Lindow replied. "A recruit uniform just doesn't look right on you anymore. Alright, I'm gonna go hit the bar. Those should be done in a little while."

"Ok, thanks again!" I call out as He walks off and goes into the cafeteria. I, on the other hand decide to head up to the training room to wait for my new clothes to be made. I spend a couple hours in the training room. I remembered what I said the day before, and decide to keep my word to Licca and let her see my brother's sword. As I walk down the hallway, and approach her Lab, its door opens. Suddenly, before I could react, I feel something soft crash into me and knock me onto the ground. "Ooowwww.." I groan as I rub my head.

"Ohmygosh, I am SOOO sorry!" I hear a girls voice say. I look up to see a girl about my age in a green skirt over black tights. I get a look her face and realize: it's the girl that was rushed to the infirmary on my first day here! Her beautiful cherry blossom colored hair wasn't a mess anymore; it was short and had a braid across the top of her for head. I couldn't believe how cute she was. "Are you OK?!" she asked my in a panic. She reached her hand out to help me up and I reach for it.

"It's you.." I say to her as she helps me up.

"Huh?!" the sakura haired girl puzzles.

"I saw you being rushed to the Infirmary a few days ago." I tell her. "You looked like you were in so much pain. I've worried about you ever since." I say, expressing my concern.

"Hey, hey! No need to worry!" she says, "I'm alright now!" The girl ponders for a moment. "Um.. have we met?"

"Not really. When you were being taken to the hospital, you opened your eyes and looked at me though." I clarify.

She continues pondering a little longer. "Oh well! My name is Kanon!" she introduced me, in a _very_ friendly tone. "Kanon Daiba!"

"It's nice to meet you, Kanon. I'm Silver Usugiri."

"Oh! You're the new recruit I've heard about, the new type! How long have you been here?"

"A few days. I just got assigned to the First Unit"

"What?! That's awesome!"

I find myself chatting with Kanon for quite a bit. Turns out she's my age, 19 and has a family that lives in the Outer Ghettos. She's been a God Eater almost eleven months. She asks me about my sword; I tell her the same thing I tell everyone: its from a game. I didn't, however, tell her about my dead older brother or that I'm from the other side of the wall; I don't want her feeling sorry for me. I hate dumping my problems on other people. As we talked, I didn't even realized I followed her into the elevator. "Aww, crap!" I shout in the elevator, face palming myself, cursing my idiocy. "I forgot about seeing Licca!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kanon said to me, feeling guilty. "I distracted you from what you were doing!"

"hey, hey, its not your fault!" I told her, trying to make her feel better. "I can be a little… forgetful at times." I admit, feeling a little embarrassed. Kanon calms down as we arrive at the rookies section. She exits the elevator and waves goodbye to me with a cute friendly smile. "Nice meeting you!" I call out to her as the elevator door closes. _Huh_. _I didn't feel like doing that thing I do when I meet a girl. Oh well!_ I ascend to thee Laboratory and head into Licca's workshop. I see her doing some maintenance on a God Arc part. "Hey, Licca!" I shout over her power tools.

"Hm?" she stops working and turns to me. "Oh, Silver!" she greets me. "Here to pick up your clothes?"

"They're done?!" she nods to me. "sweet! Anyway, I actually came you borrow this." I unsheathe my sword and hand it to her. As I let go of it, it almost falls on the floor in Licca's hands. She struggle to pick it up.

"Jeez! How can you carry this thing around so easily! You so slim!" I help her set it on her work bench and she begins to examine it after handing me my new outfit.

"I'll be back for it later!" I tell Licca as I exit the room. I go back to my room to change into my new outfit, and I have to say: I love it! After examining my new attire for a bit, I head back out to the lobby to see if Eric has come back yet. When I get out there, I see Hibari panicking while watching her monitor.

"Eric! They're closing in!" She cries. "All four of them!"

 _Eric?!_ I rush over to her desk to see what's wrong. "Hibari! What's the matter?!"

It's Eric!" she replies still in panic. "He's being attacked by several Kongou!"

"WHAT?" I shout, getting several looks from surrounding people. I look at Hibari's monitor to see Eric putting up a fight against several large Aragami in what looked to be a ruined town of sorts. It took me a moment to realize that the area was the Outer Ghettos. "Someone's got to go help him!"

"We can't…" Hibari said with a sorry look in her eyes. "Almost all our available God Eaters are out…"

"What about me?!" I butt in. "I can help him!"

"Not happening." A deep woman's voice says. I turn around to see Major Amamiya behind me.

"Major!" I addressed her. "I-

"What makes you think I'm going to send you out there to get killed?" She cuts me off. "Usugiri, your progress is commendable, but your still to inexperienced to handle a wave of enemies that large."

I've never felt so helpless! I've got to convince her to dispatch me. "With all due respect, major, people are going to die if you don't let me help!" she doesn't bat an eye at me, and continues staring me down. "I have _some_ experience with Konguos! How can you just make me stand here while me friend is in danger? What good am I here!?"

Major Amamiya sighs in defeat. "I know I'm going to regret this." She mumbles. "Alright! I am dispatching you to offer assistance to Eric in the Outer Ghettos!"

 _Thank God!_ "Yes ma'am! Thank you! I'll be careful."

"Hibari, prepare a chopper!" Tsubaki ordered her. "Usugiri, your dismissed! Godspeed!"

I rush out the Den Gate and grab my God Arc as fast as I can. I make my way down the hallway and hop on the helicopter waiting for me and takes off as I leap onto it. I can't let him die or any of those people! I turn on my earpiece and attempt to reach Eric. "Hey, Eric, do you read me?" I ask in a panic.

"Silver?!" Eric replies, surprised to hear me.

"Eric! Please hold out! I'm coming!" I just hope I'm not to late.

End of Chapter 6

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Authors note: What will happend to Eric? Will Silver get to him and bring him home safetly? Oh who'm I kidding. We all know how this ends.


	7. Chapter 7: The Pain of Loss

Hello everyone. As usual, I don't own God Eater or any of it's characters. Please enjoy tbis chapyer and feel free to rate and review. Criticism is also welcome!

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GE Silver Chapter 7-The Pain of Loss

Current Attire:

Top- Wild Zoisite Top

Bottom- Martial Pants

Normal POV

As I looked down from the helicopter, on my way to save Eric, I saw a swarm of what looked to be Zygotes chasing the residents of the Ghetto, some being eaten alive, others having heads bitten off screaming in terror. As I helplessly looked at them, I felt something well up inside me. "No…" I mumbled. "No! You will not harm them!" I screamed as I fired a flurry of Fire Shots from my God Arc. Zygotes started dropping to the ground as I sent a fiery rain from my ride. Despite my efforts, some of the larger Aragami didn't die so easily, but a lot of people got away.

"There's not much you can do from up here!" the pilot called out to me, almost drowned out by the sound of rain. He was right. "We'll reach Eric's location in about 10 minutes."

 _Ten minutes!?_ I repeat in my mind as I quickly make a decision. "Sorry… this is where I get off!" I say, ready to jump out of the chopper.

"Wait!" he tries to stop me, but I've already jumped out. About 300 feet in the air, I face the Aragami on the ground and bombard them with Divine Bombs, which destroyed a small herd of Ogretails that were about to devour a bunch of people. As I make my landing, I slayed what remaining Aragami there were with my blade. As I finished them off, I saw that several people were injured on the ground, badly hurt, but with all their limbs attached. I remember Sakuya had healing bullets, I saw if I had them. Sure enough, I luckily did, so I fired of on each of the injured, all picking themselves up from the ground. They all approached me from all sides and thanked me one after another. As happy as I am see them alive, I didn't have time for this.

"All of you, hide somewhere; I'm glad your all OK, but I have to help someone." I told the crowd. With that, I rushed off in the direction the helicopter was going before I jumped off. As I ran as fast as I thought I could, I felt a desire and urgent need to go _even_ faster. As this feeling got stronger, I stepped my foot hard in the ground, and found myself running almost twice as fast as the chopper. While dashing, I slashed any Aragami I passed with my Arc, stopping the deaths of many innocents.

Elsewhere-

"Eric! The Kongous are closing in! You have to get to get out of there!" Eric heard Hibari say,in his ear.

"Dammit, not good!" Eric reached one hand into his side pouch and took out a Stun Grenade. "Last one!" he yelled as he pulled the pin with his mouth and slammed it on the ground. As it impacted the ground beneath Eric and the monsters, a blinding flash lit the area. As the Aragami all shielded their eyes, Eric slipped through them and found cover behind a broken wall. As he took a moment to catch his breath, he almost didn't notice one of the Kongous come spinning towards him. As Eric felt his life flash before his eyes, a large bullet came flying past him hit the Ogretail dead center, causing it to stagger and fall. As Eric turned to see the source of the shot, He saw Silver charging towards him.

Silver POV-

"Silver?!" I heard Eric exclaim as I rushed the Kongou to finish it off. I jumped and slammed its face with the edge off my blade, and then Devoured it to deal the killing blow.

"Are you OK?" I asked Eric. Luckily, he didn't look to hurt.

"Am now. Thanks." We heard several roars from a short distance away.

"Don't thank me yet." I replied as 5 more Kongous showed themselves. We then begin too stand our ground. "Any tips for these guys that I might not know?"

"The faces are their weakest point. That and the tail." Eric advises me. We then jump up into the air and both fire Ice shots at one of the monsters' faces. As it staggers, I drive my blade into its face and kill it. "One down!" Eric cheers. Just then, He is slammed by one of the Aragami's tails and sent flying into a wall. I could here Eric scream in pain from where I stood.

"Eric!" I cried. Just then, one Kongou tries to pound me with its fist. As I try to counter with a slash, my God Arc is walloped out of my grip and sent towards the middle of the pack. "No…." I mutter. I stand there in a panic, unable to think of what to do.

"Silver…" Eric says, coughing up blood. I look back to him "You've… gotta leave me…Go!"

 _Dammit…_ "No!" I yell, mustering up the courage to fight; to live on. "You are _not_ gonna die! Not for me! Besides, you have a promise to keep!" He gasps at me, remembering the deal we made earlier. I hear him let out a chuckle. "I'm gonna save you!" Without a second's hesitation, I pick up a large metal pipe that's laying on the ground and lunge it at one of the approaching monsters. "Gaaaaaahhhh" I fiercely scream as I attempt to stagger it l. I knock his face a little and attempt another jab, but the same one catches my attack and swings me and throws me behind him. I luckily land beside my God Arc and pick it back up. I leap backwards to protect Eric, but end up getting slammed by another fist into the same wall. As l recover from the impact, I look up to see a helicopter with Fenrir's logo up in the rainy sky. It stopped above our location as the Kongous gave their attention too it. From said chopper, I saw 3 familiar figures jump from the chopper. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I notice a Kongou about to slam me with its fist. I get ready to shield, but before I have a chance to, Soma comes crashing down, slamming his massive God Arc into the Kongous face, leaving a bloody mess. "Soma!"

"What'd I tell you?" He said with his cocky 'Soma' attitude. "get too cocky and you're screwed out here." He looked towards Eric, still sitting injured against the broken wall. "The medic team is on their way. Go ahead and take a nap, Eric." He said in a slightly more friendly voice.

I hear gunshots from the air and look up to see Sakuya firing bullets at the Aragami while falling. "Newbie!" She addressed me as she made her landing. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, but Eric…" I looked to see Lindow land as the rest of the Kongous tried to rush him.

"What a drag." He sighed as he slashed two of the monsters as they approached him with no effort at all. He took a puff of the cigarette in his mouth. "We bust our asses on 3 missions then they send us here? Sakuya!" She was in the middle of helping me deal with some approaching Ogretails. "My beer's gone when we get back, I'm taking yours!"

She stops firing and lets out a sigh. "Just don't take it without asking again, or I'll kill you."

"Well…" Lindow replied with a smirk. "I don't feel like dying tonight." He then effortlessly struck the remaining Kongous down to the ground as they came swirling his way.

"Huh? No…" Hibari said from the ear devices. "Everyone! A Vajra leading a small horde of Ogretails is approaching your vicinity!"

"A Vajra?!" I shudder from hearing that Aragami's name, or it's superior incarnate. I'll never forget that black fur and those wings. _Don't worry, It's just a normal one._ I ready myself for whatever Aragami may come my way.

"Ugh, really?" Lindow sighed. "Yo rookie!" I look Lindow's way and give him my attention. "You still up for another rumble?!"

I swallow one of the Restore Pills that came in one of my pouches. "I'm ready!" I replied.

"Hey, you just worry about keeping _him_ safe?" Sakuya instructs me. "Just provide us some cover fire and slash any that get close."

"Gotcha!" I reply.

"Enemies closing in! 5 Ogres and the single Vajra!" Hibari informs us.

As I look towards a destroyed building from a long distance away, I see a large tiger like Aragami climbing over it, followed by several ogres. The Vajra was just as I remember it: a large cape-like mane, teeth, and a long striped tail. First charged at Lindow, who shielded its attacks and pummeled it a few times with his God Arc. Angry, the Vajra then emitted a field of purple lightning around it, which Lindow dodged by jumping upward. Soma rushed in and slashed at its legs. Too busy doing so, Soma failed to notice the Aragami's swinging tail.

As I continue shooting the small fries, I notice the Vajra tail swinging back and forth, trying to hit Soma. "Hey Soma! The tail!" I scream to try and warn him. He gives no response; I don't know if he didn't hear me or was ignoring me. As Soma finally notice the tail, as its about to hit him I think fast and shoot at it with flame bullets. I manage to get a direct hit and knock it out of the way and stop it from hurting Soma. "Yes!" I cheered. My moment of accomplishment was taken away though when the Vajra stops what he's doing and turns to look my in the eye and begins running to my location. "Dammit!" I panic as I fire bombs at the Vajra. Just then, I remembered something I had with me: my makeshift flash bombs! I pull one out of my side pouch and slam it on the ground, closing my eyes. A small flash lights the area for a split second and the Vajra reacts by stopping and trying to scratch it's eyes.

"What the?" I hear Lindow exclaim. He shrugs it off as he and I slash at it's legs, with Eric and Sakuya providing us cover fire. The Vajra shakes his head and lets out an angry roar. As it looks like it's about to unleashed hell on everyone, several gunshots hit the beast from its left side, causing it to lose balance.

"All units, fire on that Vajra!" I look over to see Tatsumi leading a large group of God Eaters. Among the group was Karel, Gina, and even Kota to my surprise. As the beast struggles to get up, we all circled around the beast and let loose everything we had. I jumped up and slammed its head with my Arc, and then Lindow turned one the chainsaw part of his and cut through the torso. Vajra then let out a dying roar and dropped dead to the ground. I Collapsed into a sit and huffed for a while. I could here the cheering from all the other Eaters, telling each other 'good job'. Heck, I even overheard Karel and Shun giving Kota credit where it was due. When I caught my breath, I stood up walked over to Eric, who was struggling trying to stand up. "You OK?" I asked him, concerned for him. I put his arm around the back of my neck and helped him up.

"I got knocked into a wall, what do you think?" he answered sarcastically with a chuckle.

"Eh, you're fine." As I helped Eric walk to the crowd, I overheard Tatsumi and Lindow as I got close to them.

"Looks like _you_ owe _me_ a drink this time, Lindow." Tatsumi remarked with a hint of cockiness.

"Actually", Lindow begged to differ, "you got here late, so _you_ owe _me_ one. Hah."

"Guess you got me there. Hm?" Tatsumi noticed me next to him. "Silver! You OK?"

"Yeah, thanks to you guys."

"Hey, kid. What was that you used to blind Vajra?" Lindow asked me, dropping his cigarette on the ground.

"Oh! Galen taught me how to make makeshift flash bombs." I answered, noticing that I openly said my brothers name. "Hey Tatsumi, where can I put this thing I found?" I joked, referring to Eric.

"Hey!"

"Our medic is waiting in the chopper that got us here", He answered, pointing me in the direction of the chopper.

"Alright, thanks!" I said as I dragging Eric that way.

"No problem! Love the new threads!"

When we get to the chopper, to my surprise, I see Kanon waiting with a small table and a stool set up nearby. "Hey!" she waves to us. As I approach her, she runs up to my face. "Ohmygod are you OK?!" She asks me as she sits Eric down on the stool and begins readying some alcohol.

"What's going on, babe?" Eric asked Kanon playfully.

She lets out a huff. "Eric, I'm not your 'babe', we've been over this, now hold still!" She begins dabbing a cotton ball on his back and he winces in pain.

I watched, impressed at her work. "Wow Kanon, you're a medic?"

"Sure am!" she confidently said while cleaning the flesh wound on Eric's back. "I'm all about that field support and… um.. medicine and bandages and stuff!" Her look of confidence disappears and is replaced with one of guilt. "Sorry I wasn't there to help kill the Vajra. My God Arc wasn't ready." She apologized. "Not that I would have been any help. Guess this is all I'm good for."

"Whoa now, a medics job is just as important as a God Eater's." I replied. "A medic's duty is to keep people alive right?"

"Hey, you're right!" she perked up after hearing my comment. "Thanks, Silver!"

"You should have seen this guy." Eric chimed in. Not only did he literally run to help me out, but even challenged an Aragami without a God Arc when it got knocked out of his hand."

"Say what?!" Kanon exclaims. "What were you thinking?!" She was almost screaming at this point.

"I wasn't just gonna leave him to die cause I didn't have the right weapon." I said to defend my case. "Besides, we're OK _now_ and that's what matters."

"Your something else." Kanon sighs. "By the way, that bandana.."

"Hey!" Kanon was interrupted by Kota approaching us from a distance, followed by Lindow and Soma. "Silver! You OK?"

"Kota!" I said as he ran up to me. "Hey, good job back there! It's not everyday you help kill a damn Vajra on your second day on the job."

"Wow… thanks man!" he said as he scratched his head. "Alright, I'm getting on the chopper. By the way, diggin' the new duds!"

"Does he _ever_ shut up?" Soma asked. "Hey, you." He turned to me. "I almost got blown to bits. Thanks for that."

"Hey, I tried to warn you about the Vajra's tail and you just straight up ignored me." I retorted back at him in a fowl tone. What is this guys deal?

"I didn't need your help, I had things under control!" Soma continued to yell.

"Hey, be nice, you two." Lindow butted in. "Oi, we've got a long road ahead of us." As Lindow continued to speak, we all failed to notice an Ogretail corpse beginning to stand up.

"Huh? Silver, above you!" Eric screams. I look up to see the Ogretail jumping at me. Before I could react, I feel something ram into me body. It was Eric! I hit the ground as I heard him scream in agony at the top of his lungs. I look up to see Soma slash the monster in two.

"No…." I mumble. I scurry over to Eric lying on the ground with a large bite taken out of his stomach and one of his arms bitten off. Blood was everywhere. Tears begin running down my face.

"Any… final word? Anything you want to say?" Lindow asked the almost dead Eric.

"Silver…" Eric struggle as he turned to me. "Sorry… I can't keep… our promise." He let out a cough and the remove his sunglasses from his head. I can't bear too watch this. He clutches his glasses into my hand and continues to speak. "You… were amazing today. Your gonna be… *cough* the kind of God Eater.. that does amazing things!" tears started flowing from his eyes. With his dying breath, he uttered one final word. "Er…i…naaaa…."

"No…. No not you too!" I yell to Eric's lifeless body. I grab my god arc and start firing heal shots at him in vain. I collapse to the ground and stare at the glasses he handed me. "EEERRRRIIIIIIIC!" A single sentence echoes in my mind.

" _You're gonna become an amazing God Eater… and do great things."_

I look to everyone else. Soma turned away from me with a hurt expression, Lindow held his head low, and Kanon was collapsed to her knees sobbing. I hold Eric's body in my arms and stand up. "A funeral…" I muttered between sobs. "He needs a funeral!"

Later that night-

They held a big funeral for Eric that night. Everybody was wearing black formal clothes. While everyone else was gathered to honor our fallen comrade, I hid behind a wall, away from the crowd. These people probably hate me for causing their friends death. After the service ended, I headed back up to my room as everyone else gathered in the lobby. When I entered my room, I noticed my sword on my bed; guess Licca was done with it. I plopped myself onto my bed and took Eric's glasses out of my pocket. I then just starred at them, angry at myself. "Dammit! Why! Why the hell did he die for me?!" I began crying again. I can't handle this. Eric died because I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings; becaisee I screwed up. Angry with myself, I chucked my sword across the room, leaving a crack in the wall. I collapse on my bed and attempt to calm myself down, but more tears start flowing again. Just then, my door opens and a person wearing a black suit enters. _Lindow._

"So I let you into my Unit and this is what happens? This is what your gonna do with the life Eric gave up for you?" He says to me and sits beside me. "Sorry , I.. guess you still not used to this."

His sentiment is comforting; I find myself at ease. "No. I'm not." I admit.

"Why don't you come down with everyone else?" Lindow asks me.

"How can I face everyone? I caused one of their comrades' death, and couldn't save him when I said I would! They must all hate me!"

"Do you really think that? Actually… they're worried about you."

"Huh? They are?"

"Listen, this is probably gonna be the corniest thing I've ever and probably will ever say. But you need to realize you're not alone here. We're all here for you to lean on us when you need so."

I take in his words and surprisingly feel a whole lot better. I laugh slightly at his words. "Wow, that was _so_ not you!"

"There's the Silv I know! Now c'mon, let's get down there."

"Right. And Lindow", I said as I stood up. "Thank you."

"Sure. By the way… have you found the reason you're here?"

"I think I have." With that, he and I walked out to the elevator and descended to the lobby. As the door opened, many other people were in the lobby in formal clothes talking. When I came out, they all turned there heads toward me. To my surprise, when several people approached me, they all showed their concern.

"Hey are you alright?"

"How are you holding up?"

"If I can help with anything just ask."

"I'll be OK." I told them. "Thank you all."

As I walked down the steps into the cafeteria, I saw Licca and Hibari sitting at a table. "I'll never get used to this; when only the God Arc comes back."

As I listened to them mourn, Tatsumi and someone else I hadn't met approached me. "Silver." He said in a low tone. "Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine."

"Hey" the other guy said to me. He was tall had short light grey hair. "My name is Brenden. Tell me, is it true you really tried to fight the Aragami without your God Arc?"

"Yeah. It was just… fast thinking I guess."

"Anyway, I'm getting ready to make a toast to Eric." Tatsumi tells me as he hands me an aluminum can. "This was Eric's favorite drink."

 _Fenrir Root Beer._ "Thanks, but I promised someone that I wouldn't drink this till I'm 21." Tatsumi and Brenden start laughing at me. "What?!"

"Beer and Root Beer aren't the same. _This_ is a soda. It's not alcoholic." Tatsumi explained.

"Ooohh." I say as I pop open the can. I nervously take a sip and find it has a certain… bite to it. It's also quite fizzy, but it's delicious! "hey, this is good!"

We then walk back out to the lobby, Tatsumi walks over to the balcony on the upper part on the room. "Ahem- Everybody!" be says to get their attention. "I've got some things I'd like to say." After everyoe gave Tatsumi their attention, he continued. "Today, we lost a great friend. Eric was a great person; fun loving, friendly to everyone, and was a family man. Today he made a noble sacrifice for a comrade, one that we'll always remember." He held out his soda can. "To Eric der Vogelweid!"

"To Eric!" the crowd repeated.

Just then, some words I felt I had to get out came to mind. "I've got something to say, too!" I spoke up. "Before I came here, I didn't believe in people anymore; Something happened that made me believe that I couldn't trust anyone, and because of that, someone really important to me never got a funeral. But after a few days here, I began to see how people truly are. And Eric, while my time with him was short, there was something about him that I believed in. Eric trusted me. If he didn't he wouldn't have gave me his life. So, with the life given to me by our fallen friend, I will place my faith in this world!" I raised my drink to the air. "This is my declaration- my promise to everyone here!"

As I finished everyone started clapping for me. All of the sadness and sorrow in the room seemed to vanish. People were quite cheerful for a while talking about Eric until..

"Excuse me!" I look over to see a little girl with white hair and a white beret. Behind her was a tall middle aged man with grey hair. "Do you know where my brother is?"

"Your brother?..." I fear I already know the answer. "What's his name."

"Eric." She answered. "I'm his sister, Erina. He said he was going to come see me today but he neber came." Tears start to well up in my eyes as I collapse on my knees in front of her. "What's with you?"

"You're amazing brother…" I began as I pulled Eric's sunglasses from my pocket. "He gave his life for mine!" I clutch the sunglasses into her hand as tears start to well up in her eyes as well. "I'm… so sorry! You must hate me, I know!" The girl starts sobbing, drops to her knees and, to my surprise, throws her arms around me into a hug. "You're brother fought to protect you and your dad, so I'll do it for him from now on."

"You won't have to for long!" Erina said between sobs. "Because I'm gonna become a God Eater just like Eric!"

"I think you can do it!" I tell her, still locked in a hug. "I say go for it… in a few years.

She lets me go. "I will, thank you, um…"

"Silver." I finished for her. "That's my name. Do you want to talk about Eric for a little?" She nods to me and goes to sit on a sofa and I follow her. As I pass the white haired man, I hear him speak.

"Damn that idiot some of mine, dying before I do!"

"Mister, if there's anything I can do for you or your daughter, don't hesitate to ask." I tell him. "I won't let your sons sacrifice go to waste."

"Thank you. You're a kind young man." He replies before I go and sit next to Erina.

"By the way, I know how you feel, Erina." I said as I sat beside her. "I lost my big brother too."

We took turns talking about random things about our older brothers. A couple things I learned about Eric are that a lot of his money went to fancy clothes for Erina, and that he had a secret passion for acting and drama. What a weird guy! I told Erina that Galen used to whistle while we traveled and that he taught me how to make flash grenades out of materials he found. After a little bit of that, she asked for some tips on being a Got Eater.

"Is using a shield really that important?" She asked me.

"Yes! You're shield is your best friend out there!" I told her, stressing it's importance. "Don't ever forget that it's there!"

"Erina, let's go." Her father said. I realized that the lobby had been mostly cleared out. I looked at the clock to realize that it was already 11:34. "Young man, Silver was it? Thank you for comforting my daughter."

"Your welcome. It's the least I can do." I bid them goodnight and head to my room and get some shuteye.

While trying to drift asleep, I thought about all that transpired today. "I'm not gonna let this happen again." I promised myself. "I'm going to protect _everyone_ who needs it!"

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8: Precious Family

As usual, I do not own God Eater or it's characters; they are owned by Bandai Namco. Please be sure to rate and review. Enjoy!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 8- Precious Family

Silver POV

I woke up about 8 O'clock the next morning and did my normal thing. When I got out to the lobby, I notice Soma sitting by the coffee table. I felt like I should ask him about Eric, regardless of how unpleasant he may be. "Soma." I said to get his attention. He opens one eye and notices me.

"What do you want." He asked me.

"I… wanted to ask you about Eric." I answer.

Soma scoffs at me. "Eric? Nothin' to do with me."

His words manage to set me off. "What?! What do you mean?!" I ask loudly, turning a few heads. "So you didn't feel anything?! No sadness? Nothing?"

"Hey, it wasn't my life he wasted his on. The weaker among us are the first to die! That's how it works!" He screamed at me."At least _I_ had the guts to show up at his damn funeral!" He stands up if a huff and walks downstairs. "I hate to be the one to tell you, but death isn't so rare in this world."

When he exits the room, I go ahead and check in with Hibari and see if I have a mission yet.

"Morning Silver." She said in a sad tone.

"Are you gonna be OK, is there anything I can do?"

"I'll be fine." She assured me. "By the way, Kota seemed worried about you, you know."

With that I head up to his room; the one next to mine. I knock and walk into Kota's room and garbage bags are everywhere. Soda cans are all over the place and he has a whole sink of unwashed dishes. It's been almost a week since he got here, too! Can't imagine what it'll be like later on.

"Wow, this place is a mess." I say to Kota bluntly.

"Hey, don't be crampin' my carefree lifestyle!" he retorted. "Anyway, I don't think its good for us to be all gloomy."

"You're right. I think I'll be OK."

"Aww c'mon, buddy be a bit more confident! We're awesome! Strong! Invincible!"

His energetic personality always manages to lift my spirits. I almost feel like I can take on the world. "Thanks Kota, I feel better already!"

"Ha-ha, awesome! Oh, BTW, Lindow seemed a little worried about you. Why don't you pay him a visit?"

"I will, thanks man!" I say as I turn to leave the room and wave to Kota.

In Lindow's Room-

"So, you… doin OK? Sorry, I'm not good at this whole 'talking' thing." Lindow said to me.

"I'm… Alright. Actually, I wanted to ask about Soma. What's _with_ him?"

Lindow let out a sigh. "Well, Soma is one of the Far East's top God Eaters but… he's misunderstood because he's so blunt." He laughs too himself. "I mean, he's kind of a brat, but listen. I don't think you'll find a kinder person than Soma."

"What?" I exclaim shock. Literally every other person I've met is kinder than Soma; Kota, Kanon, Tatsumi, hell even Karel and Shun are more decent of human beings.

"It's true. Soma's worst fear is seeing his comrades die in front of him." Lindow explained. "That's why he keeps his distance."

 _Stay the hell away from me_ , Soma's voice echoed in my mind.

"I see. I'll cut him some slack then."

"OK then, I'd like you to make friends with him and keep him from dying. That's an order!"

"Yes sir!"

"So please… don't be so hard on him."

"Yeah..." another question came to mind. "Oh yeah, so Is Kota doing alright out in the field?"

"Him? He's doin OK. Gotta say, it's hard to believe anyone could be raised right these days. Kid's got good parents."

"Yeah, he's a good guy." I agree.

"You to are paired up today!" my face lights up. "I don't think there's a greater treasure than comrades you get along with."

"I think your right. Thanks Lindow!"

"Yep! I'm counting on you!" He says to me as I get ready to leave. "Just… don't die! Got that?"

I nod to him and then take my leave. As I'm walking through the hall, I notice Erina and her dad each carrying large cardboard boxes.

"Erina! Mr. Vogelweid!"

"Ah, Silver. Good morning."

"Hi Silver." They both still sounded quite down.

"What's all this?"

"We… just finished clearing out Eric's room. I don't know what to do with most his things."

"Wait! I just thought of something." Erina chimes in and sets her box down and starts going through it. "Ah, here" she pulls put and shows me a small electronic device. "This was Eric's video game device thing. He loved them, but I always thought they were a waste of time. He'd want you to have it." She handed the device to me.

"Wow, I'm grateful, but is this OK?" I ask Erina's father.

"If that's what she'd like to do with it, then I'm OK with you having it."

"Thank you! Very much!" I say with gratitude.

"You're very welcome. Let's go, Erina.." Mr. Vogelweid says. Erina picks up her box and starts walking again.

"Bye Silver!"

Out in the Lobby, Kota was waiting for me. "Hey, looks like we're heading out together this time, huh?"

"Looks that way!" I say energetically "I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Aww, thanks man!" He said slightly blushing. "You know… I'm glad we've made it this far. At the end of tbe day, surviving is what matters in this line of work."

"Yeah…" I replied as I started drifting into thought.

"Crap! Sorry! That was... insensitive."

"No, dude its fine! Just be careful today, OK?"

"I will. I don't know what my mom and sister would do if I-"

"Stop right there!" I cut him off. "Don't think like that. OK? Last thing I want is another friend dying."

"Kay. Oh hey, on the down low, do you know Sakuya?"

"Yeah, she's our unit's medic."

"Oh! Are you close? Isn't she just smokin' hot?! And not just hot, but kind, sweet… and hot!"

"Yeah, your.. not wrong." I hesitated. "Let's just… try not to sound like pervs, OK?"

"Oh. Right. But she's like a frikkin' Amazon Warrior Maiden! Damn she's so fine!" I can't help but smile at his excitement. " Even thinking about her's got me hyped for another mission! Hey, how about a little contest?"

"What kind of contest, to see who can win her heart?" I joked.

"What? NO! To see who can kill the most Aragami! She'll be all over me then!"

"I…think you're a little underage for someone like her." I say with a slight laugh.

"Nah, I'm sure she'll dig me if I'm good enough!"

A women's voice speaks up behind Kota "Who'll dig you?" It was Sakuya, sure enough. "Well?" she asked. Kota's confidence was replaced with a nervous laugh.

-On the Chopper.

"Ooowwww" Kota groaned as he rubbed his face. "Why'd she slap me so hard?"

"That's what happens when you openly hit on a woman over 5 years older than you." I say in an 'I told you so' fashion. "Well, maybe the location we're headed is chilly enough to make that not hurt so much."

"Oh yeah, we're goin' to some snow old temple." He replied. After about a total of a thirty minute flight, the chopper makes it's descent above an old destroyed wooden building. We hop out of the helicopter and receive our briefing from Hibari.

"Your primary target today is a Kongou. You've seen how devastating their powers are." She said in a low tone. "Not only will it dish out punishment, but it can take a beating before it goes down. Please… come home safe."

"Don't worry, we will." I assure her. Last thing I need is people worrying about me. "Ready, Kota?"

"Let's get busy, baby! Yeah!" He replies with hype. After a few minutes of searching for the enemy, Kota stops walking. "Brrr! It's chilly out here! Better zip up these shorts!" As he does so, an Ogretail comes walking around a corner down a flight of stairs. Before it spots us, I whisper Kota's name and we get out of sight.

As it starts eating something on the ground, I form a plan with Kota. "When I say so, fire flame shots at it. I'll move in first with my gun and when I signal you, follow me through, OK?"

"Gotcha!"

"Now!" Kota fires on the Ogre and I charge the monster with bullets and switch to blade mode as I close in. "Kota!" I signal as I strafe to the side to get out of his line of fire. The monster focuses on me and tries to catapult off of his own tail and fling itself at me. I fail to dodge in time and get knocked back. I barely land on me feet and manage to avoid a lunge from the monster. Kota closes in on the monster and I switch to gun mode, which then with circle it while bombing him with fire elements. Before long, the monster falls. "Nice! Lets keep it up! Hibari, can I get an idea of where the target is?"

"Let's see… up the sets of stairs, there's the old temple building with a few other small structures around it. It's somewhere in there."

Thanks! Let's move out!" After we arrive at the temple, we sight the target and it spots us.

"Aww crap one of _these_ guys?!" Kota complains. He gets his game face on and focuses. "I'll burn you to ash! Your nothing but a screwed up gorilla!" He lets out a war cry and fires at the Kongou. I close in and slash at his torso. Not doing much damage, I step back and gun him with Divine. He almost staggers, but a shot from behind by Kota switches the monster's focus on him instead. "Crap, it's after me!" Kota panics as the monster runs at him.

"Calm down. Just keep firing and avoid it." I advise Kota. As he continues to fire, Kota backs into a wall. While the monster's back faces me, I slash at the tail. Kongou ignores me and begins it's tornado spin. I end up getting wacked into the air, as I land, I see it approach Kota. "Watch put!" I scream. Kota didn't seem at all worried. He pulls something out of his pocket and slams it on the ground. Suddenly, the Aragami is surrounded by a field of lightning.

"Smash it!" Kota yells. He bombards it and I repeatedly jab it's face.

I find myself getting annoyed at how the Aragami refused to die. "Will! You! Just! Piss! Off! Already!" I yell between slashes and jabs. I Devour the Aragami and gain a few shots from it, while cracking its face. "I shattered it!" I unload the devour bullets on the monster staggering it and causing it to fall over and bleed out. "Finish it off!" Kota and I once again open fire on the monster and eventually it roars a dying roar. Kota and I take a moment to catch our breath and laugh a few times.

"Wow, you two! You handled that almost perfectly! Extraction is en route to your location."

"Yeah." I plainly reply.

While on the chopper Kota and I started chatting away. "Dude, you had me worried for a moment, but you pulled out that trap and I'm like 'eh he's fine'" I say.

"Thanks man. And your strats were off the hook! Oh!" Kota said as if remembering something. He pulls out from his pocket a small object wrapped in paper. "I said I'd give you some."

"Huh? Thanks!" I take it from his hand and I unwrap it. I examine the small pink object for a moment. "So, this is gum?" I stick it in my mouth and start chewing.

"Yep, just don't swallow it, OK?" Kota reminds me. "Spit out when your done."

After a few minutes of smacking, I bite carelessly a little to hard and chomp my own tongue. "Ow! Ow! I bit my tongue! Admittedly not a war wound but… still!"

Kota starts laughing at me and I give him a 'hey!' look. It was at that moment I knew I made a great friend for life. "Hey, Silver?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you… like to come to the Ghettos with me when we get back?" he asks me. "I want you to meet my mom and sis."

"Um… I was gonna go home and train." I admitted.

"Oh…"

"BUT!" I added. "That sounds like a great idea. I'd be happy to."

"Ha-ha! Awesome, man!" Kota tries to jump for joy, bit he hits his head on the chopper's ceiling and I can't help but laugh at him. He sits down and rubs the top of his head.

"But before we do that, I was told we have a lecture with Dr. Sakaki." I informed Kota.

"Really?" he complains as he let's out a scoff.

"I think it was about… Arcology?" I say trying to remember the topic.

When we got back to the Den, we found Sakaki waiting for us in the lobby. "Ah! Silver, Kota, how was your first mission as a team?" he asked us. "I hope it went well."

"Aww it was awe-to the- sum! Silver's blade and my gun were awesome together! We were like… pefectly in sync! "Kota exclaimed. "The Guns Ablazin'! The Terrible Two! The Fated Combination!"

"Ooh, I like that last one!" I chimed in.

"Thanks! I'm great at naming-"

"Now, now, I'm sure your both an effective team which is all and good. However we have somethings I'd like to discuss if you'd be so kind as to follow me to my Lab." The Doctor lead us to his Lab and had us take a seat. In front of us was a screen with a small animated Sakaki next to the words 'Learning with Dr. Sakaki. He went on to talk about what an Arcology is. He said the Den which we live in is one, and how it provides needs for everyday survival. That no matter what happened, we could survive regardless of what happened to the rest of the world. "On top of all, we are extremely defended. An Anti- Aragami wall lines the perimeter, and the Far East boasts the strongest God Eater squadrons." He continued. "and that in a nut-shell, is the Far East; a complex and powerful Arcology optimized for the protection of mankind" I noticed Kota start to yawn beside me. I give him a nudge to make sure he pays attention. "Unfortunately, we are still plagues by a number of issues." Sakaki added. "Such as the fact that we cannot house all of our citizens. Certainly you've seen the Outer Ghetto? A vast collection of ramshackle housing just beyond the core of the Branch."

"Yeah, I passed through it when I first came here and just the other night when… you know."

"Yes… my condolences by the way. Anyway, we'd love to have those people inside, but we simply don't have enough room to accommodate. The best we could do is surround the ghetto with a large Anti Aragami wall."

"I don't know if that's enough." Kota spoke up. "Aragami have been breaking in a lot lately."

"Yeah, we all know what happened last night." I add

"Which is why we have the Defensive Unit stationed there." Sakaki replied. "Oh, goodness me. You were born in the Ghetto, weren't you Kota? I didn't mean to dismiss your fears so lightly." Sakaki apologized.

"Oh, no it's not a problem" Kota replied. I could tell he was lying, and could tell how worried he was.

"Actually, there were plans to expand the Den's interior." Sakaki explained. "We were going to build another layer down for new residents."

"Really? What happened to that?" I asked.

"It never came through because the Aegis Project picked up, which is supposed to make everyone much safer anyway." Kota answered.

"Precisely, Kota. At this moment, a massive majority of the Far East resources and underground plant are being dedicated to the construction of Aegis. But that should be a topic for another time." Sakaki concluded, dismissing us. As we got up and were about to walk out of his lab, the Doctor speaks up. "Excuse me, Silver." He addressed me. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Umm. Sure." I answer and turn to Kota. "I'll catch up, OK?" Kota nods at me and I take a seat once more. "What did you need to talk about."

"I hope you don't mind me asking about this, but I was hoping you could tell me how your brother Galen died." The Doctor requested. "It's for the database. Can you spare the time?"

"Sorry." I apologized. "I think I _am_ ready to talk about it, but I can't today. I have plans a in a little while and I'd rather share the story with my team mates." I explain. "Perhaps some other time? It's kind of a lengthy story."

"I suppose it can wait a little while longer. Thank you." Dr. Sakaki lowered his head and nudged his glasses. "I truly am sorry about your brother. He was a good man. It must have been hard alone out there."

"It's fine!" I say with a smile. "I've had five years to grief."

"Alright then, you may go. Thank you for your time."

I bid the professor farewell and leave the room. I head out to the lobby where Kota was waiting. "All done?" he asks me.

"yeah. Are we going?"

"Yep! You ready?"

"Yeah."

-Outer Ghetto-

As Kota and I walk through the large civilization of housing, I took in my surroundings. I gazed at the many people going about their normal daily lives. I then looked down to what appeared to be a large divot in the ground, and saw people in Fenrir jackets handing out large sacks to people in a single file line. "Hey, Kota." I said. "What are they doing down there?"

"Huh? They're distributing food." He said. Was I… supposed to know that?

"Wait… they're just… _giving_ food away?!" I exclaim.

"Of course they… Wait a minute! Don't tell me you're from outside the wall?"

"Y-yeah." I reply nervously.

"Oh. But yeah, Fenrir does everything they can for the people who live out here. When you think about it, it's not too bad."

"Dude, I'm not gonna dis you for not having it rough. I'm just… unlucky is all."

"Heh, fair enough." Kota looked ahead of his to see a specific house. "Look, we're here!" Kota runs up to the house and I follow him as he knocks on the door. An older woman opens the door and lets out a gasp. This woman A white apron over a green top. "Kota?"

"Hi mom!" he greets her happily. She throws her arms around him and they embrace each other in a hug.

"Oh! Who's this?" she says with a smile, looking at me.

"This is my teammate Silver. We're in the same Unit!" Kota introduces me.

"Please to meet you ma'am."

"Hmhm, likewise. I hope my little boy hasn't caused you to much trouble."

"Well… not _too_ much." I joke with Kota's mom.

"Hey!" Kota says with a laugh. "Oh! Where's Nozomi?"

"She's running an errand for me." She answered. He face lowered and her eyes started to water.

"Mom, are you OK?" Kota asked with concern.

"I'll be fine. I just... can't believe you've become a God Eater. My little boy has grown up so fast!"

"I'll be OK mom. I have teammates I can rely on. Anyways, I was hoping you could make something for dinner for all of us."

"Of course, dear. Can you go grab some things for me then?"

"Absolutely, I'll even cover it!"

Kota's mom writes down a lost of things she wanted him to buy. As she finishes the list, the front door is opened.

"Big Brother!" a little girl with red hair screams from behind Kota.

Kota's face lights up with a wide smile. "Nozomi!" Kota turns around and picks her up and hugs her tightly. "I've missed you!"

"Kota, are you a God Eater now?" Nozomi asked Kota as he put her down. "How many monsters have you beaten?"

"A…few. Me and my buddy Silver here just today destroyed a big one together!"

The little girl gasps in excitement. "You _have_ to tell me about it."

"Of course, but I've got to pick some stuff up for mom first, K?"

"Awww, OK." Nozomi whines. "I'll wait…"

"Good! Now I'll be back soon." Kota says as he turns to leave the house in a hurry.

"Oh, please take a seat, make yourself at home." Ms. Fujiki insists to me.

"Thank you." I sit down and smile to myself from seeing how happy this family is. "Your son is a really great person. You raised him very well."

"It hasn't been easy, ever since his father passed away." Kora's mom explained. "But he's always been very cheerful. Please… be a good friend to him."

"I will. I promise I'll make sure he come back safe every day." I pledged. "I'd hate for Nozomi to go through the pain I did. And besides, I think he's become a good friend already."

After about 15 minutes, Kota came back with ingredients for dinner. As Kota's mom was cooking, I asked if she needed a hand, but she insisted I relax. Kota was busy dramatically telling Nozomi about the Aragami we killed today. " So it's coming _right_ at me! I think fast and use a paralysis trap on it! And so Silver knocks it to the ground and were both circle around it and go ham on it with bullets."

"Hehe! You two make a great team!" Kota's sister noted. "Like Isamu and Johnny from Bugarally!"

"Hey, that's right! Isam and Johnny, the dynamic duo!"

"Ummm… Buga-what?" I ask.

"You've... never heard of Bugarally?" Kota questioned.

"No." I admitted. "What is it?"

"Umm, only the most AWESOME action/adventure anime series _ever!_ It's about a adventurer named Isamu and his partner Johnny who go on crazy adventures! It is _so_ good!" Kota exclaims to me. It sounds pretty fun to watch. "We'll watch it when we get back to base later, cool?"

"Cool!" I repeat.

"Oh, by the way, do you have one of these?" Kota suddenly asks me as he pulls a small electronic device, like the one I was given earlier.

"Wait a sec, I do!" I remember. I pulled it out of my pocket and showed it to Kota. "Erina-Erics little sister- gave it to me."

"That was nice of her. Wanna play somethin'?" Kota offers me. "I've got this fighting game called Road Brawlers and I've been _dying_ to play with someone!"

"Sure!"

Kota helps me get the game set up to where we can go one-on-one with each other. There were quite a few characters to choose from; I chose a character that looked like a Japanese Martial artist in a blue outfit. I have a little difficulty at first, this being the first video game I've _ever_ played. However, after getting used to it, I find myself playing like a natural. I won against Kota over 5 times in a row.

"Wow! I didn't take you for a gamer, but you've got some serious skills!" Kota tells me, impressed at my talent(?)

"Well I guess it just… runs in the family." I reply.

"Boys, dinners ready!" Ms. Fujiki calls out from the kitchen.

"Aw yeah! Chow time!" Kota shouts

After dinner-

"Thank very much, Ms. Fujiki!" I said with plenty of gratitude. We were just getting ready to leave Kota's family's house. "Thank was amazing, especially the corn!"

"You're very welcome. You're welcome back anytime." Kota's mom said to me, then turned to her son. "Kota…"

"Don't worry. I _promise_ I'll always come home safe." He vowed.

"And I'll be sure he keeps that promise." I added.

"Nozomi, be a good girl OK?" Kota tells his sister as he kneels down to her level. "Bye-bye!" With that, we leave the Fujiki residence and head back to the Den. While walking Kota stops and turns to look at a large island far in the distance.

"What's that?" I ask.

"That's Aegis, human kinds final hope."

"Right, that shelter." I remember. "Just how many people are they planning to house?"

"All of humanity… that's why I joined Fenrir; to help complete Aegis so my family can live happily."

"All of them…?" I at the island with Kota; at the hope for the world.

Back at the Den-

Kota and I hung out inn his room for a while and watched that "Bugarally" show. We watched an episode where the character Johnny had to save his friend Isamu from a group of bandits. I'll admit: I actually found myself getting pretty excited over it! Then their was a part where Isamu rode on the back of some kind of four legged animal to chase down those bandits. The episode ended with the two friends continuing their journey to reach some ancient ark. "Wasn't that _awesome_?" Kota ask me

"yeah, I really enjoyed it!" I answered, and then let out a yawn. "Alright, it's been fun but I'm gonna get to bed"

"K, man. Night!"

In bed, I thought about Kota's family. "Heh. 'Family'. I'd forgetten what it feels like". They seem so happy together, even with the world as it is. But Kota's mom seems so worried about him. I guess that _is_ what mom's are like; I don't remember too well. All I know is I promised to make sure Kota always comes home safe. It's funny, now that I think back today about how great Kota was on the battle field, I look at the picture of Kota in my head, and I see a hero; I see Isamu.

* * *

AN- I hope you like the chemistry between Silver and Kota. I wanted them to have a strong friendship in this.


	9. Chapter 9:Kanon's Training

Lets see, I DON'T own God Eater or its characters; they're owned by Bandai Namco. As usual, feel free to rate and leave a review. Constructive criticism is more than welcome!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 9- Kanon's Training

A few days after I went over to Kota's house for dinner, I went on a mission with my Unit in the Old City. Well, minus Lindow. He basically dropped us off; said he had a 'hot date'. After reminding us of the 'Big Rule', Soma, Sakuya, Kota and I begin hunting down a Kongou and three Zygotes. Sakuya asks me what I think we should do. I suggest that Soma and Kota hunt down the Zygotes while Sakuya and I keep the Kongou busy. The fight against the Kongou is a little bit tougher this time around, but I did learn a few this from the last time. After they kill off the Zygotes, Soma and Kota join me in taking out the Kongou and we slay it in almost no time flat. Soma and I both attacked it from its side after Kota used a trap on it.

When we got back to the Den, Lindow was already waiting for us, lounging on the sofa around the coffee table.

"Looks like you made it back before us." Sakuya said to Lindow. "How'd it go?"

"Pretty well. I managed to wrap up the day as per your request." Lindow replies. "How bout you guys?"

"As per _your_ request, no one died. See?" Soma grumps.

"I say we did pretty good!" I chime in. "No problems out there at all today."

"You should have seen us, man!" Kota exclaimed. "We were awesome!"

"Funny, I don't remember you actually, y'now, helping." Soma adds.

"What?! I-" Our group starts laughing out loud as Kota sinks in grief

"C'mon guys, lay off him." I add, still with a slight laugh. "He _did_ use that trap that in the end made things easier for us."

"Damn, well if that's the case, looks like I wont be skipping out on any more dates just to keep you guys in line."

"Where you gettin' all these ladies from, Lindow?!" Kota asked with jealously evident in his voice. "You gotta hook me up!"

"I'm not so sure you could handle a lady."

"I _know_ he can't handle a lady!" I add as a joke, recalling what happened a few days prior with Sakuya.

"Hey!" Kota yelled out as he playfully punched my shoulder and laughed alongside me. I could see Sakuya and Lindow chuckling at our fooling around and Soma just getting annoyed. Suddenly, a voice starts speaking from the PA.

"Attention all God Eaters. The 7th unit has successfully slain an Oboroboros and taken the core. All engineers report to lab no. 5."

Suddenly, chatter from several people I'm the lobby fills the room. Before long, I here Kota speak up. "Obo-robus? What's that? Is it crazy strong?"

"Oboro-Boros, you idiot." Soma corrects Kota in a fowl voice. "Do some research and you wouldn't have to ask such stupid questions. It in the Norn, look it up."

"The… Norn?" I repeat. "What's that?"

"Oh my _God!"_ Soma almost screams in annoyance. "It's a database you can access on any terminal."

"yeah, you can also send and get messages from other God Eaters! Its so cool!" Kota continues. "I sent you something, but you didn't respond."

"Oh, I'll have to check that then." I reply.

"Anyway, the Oboroboros _is_ pretty strong, Kota." Sakuya informed him. "I don't think we're ready for something like that yet."

"I'll agree with her" I speak up. "I saw one while I was traveling to get here. It's _huge!"_

"Seriously? But we rock like…really hard!" Kota said. His enthusiasm is awesome, but if we tried to take one of _those_ on, we'd… be screwed.

"and we'll _die_ like…really hard." Soma mocked. This guy… it's gonna be hard becoming friends with him.

"I don't know… I feel like someday soon we can take on an Oboroboros." Lindow begged to differ. That Aragami's name is gonna give me a headache! "For now, just follow the Big Rule!"

"I know, 'don't die'! I get it!" Soma grumped. "Don't you think you've used that line enough?"

"Oh, I'll use it till I've beaten into that head of yours! You'd charge right into death if I wasn't watching out for you."

"That's just… Shut up!" Soma actually got flustered there! I can't help bit find myself laughing, same as the rest of the squad.

"Alright then. I've got another 'date' lined up, so I'm off. You guys go do whatever." Lindow ordered as he got up and left the room through the elevator. Sakuya and Soma also disband to do their own thing leaving me and Kota. As Kota spaces out, I walk over to a terminal and check out some of the mail I received. I see the one I got from Kota, telling me he forgot when his medical exam is. I got several others from a few other people; Lindow, the development department, and even the shopkeeper. Then I saw one I got from Kanon…

Subject: Dear Mom

Message: I made plans to finally go home, but I got out pretty late because of training. So I missed dinner! I'm sorry if you started making it already.

So.. I got a message from Kanon that was meant for her mom. I suddenly start bursting in laughter as Kota comes to see what's up. I show him the mail and he starts joining in with my laughter.

"Oh wow…anyway," He says after calming down. "I've got a second mission today with another unit. I'm gonna go talk with them, Kay?"

"yeah." I reply. As he walks off, I notice another message from Kanon, sent today.

Subject:Waaah! I'm Sorry!

Message: I sent you a message the other day! Please delete that! I'm so sorry!

I can't help but smile at this girls klutziness. I overhear chatter over behind be by the Den gate. I look behind me to see Tatsumi, Kota, and Brenden in a group being spoken to by Kanon. What a coincidence. "I'm sorry I can't go with you guys." She apologized to the group, guilt evident in her voice.

"Don't sweat it, you just need some more time is all, take all you need!" Tatsumi replies, attempting to cheer her up.

"The Cap's right." Brendan adds. "If you try to push yourself to hard now, you'll end up hurt. Besides, we have Kota."

"I don't know if I'll be a good substitute for ya, but I'll do my best!" Kota assures her. He then notices me and faces me. "Hey Silv, this is the Unit I'm going with."

"Yeah, I've met them. You guys are a Unit?"

"Yep! We're Far East Branch's Defensive Unit! Or simply, the 2nd Unit." Kanon proudly answers. "Tatsumi here is our captain!"

"We've actually met, Kanon." Tatsumi informs her. "How are things, Silver?"

"I hear you've become quite the Gods Eater!" Brenden adds. I find myself getting puzzled at what he just said.

"I'm sorry, 'Gods' Eater?" I repeat, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me explain. I'm originally from a country called 'America'. Over there , we're called 'Gods' Eaters."

"That… literally makes no sense." I reply.

"Anyway were departing now." Tatsumi ordered. "Ready, team?"

"Lets go go go!" Kota yells with excitement the 3 head out the Den Gate. "Later!" Kota bids us. As the gate closes, I hear Kanon let out a depressed sigh.

"Are you OK?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes." She answered with sadness. I sit down and signal her to do so.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Well… a little while ago, we were on a mission to slay a pair of Vajra." Kanon began. "When we killed one, the captain was hurt, and I didn't have enough Oracle to heal him. The 2nd monster almost got him with an electric field…" Kanon was almost crying at this point. "I thought fast and pushed him out of the way, and I took the hit. I was out for days and my God Arc almost broke."

"I see… that's why Kota's covering for you." I conclude.

"Yeah. If it weren't for him, we'd be down _two_ members." Kanon added. "Today, my God Arc was finally ready, but when I got out here, my team was already registered for their mission."

"Wait… who's the other one?"

Tears start flowing down Kanon's face as she starts sobbing. "It was Eric..."

Why? Why does he still have to haunt me like this?! Eric… he was such a good guy, and I'm only now realizing how much he meant to everyone. "I see… I'm sorry." I apologize. "I owe him a lot."

"You two were quick friends, huh?" Kanon remembered. She wipes the tears off her face and collects herself.. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." I smile at Kanon. "Anyway, so you need someone to help you get back into the swing of things, right?" I energetically ask her.

Kanon gasps in excitement. "Ohmygosh you would do that? For _me?!"_

"Of course!" I say. "Now, let's get you registered for a mission"

"Thank you so much!" she yells to me as she, out of nowhere, throws her arms around me and embraces me in a _really_ tight hug. I can feel the fabric on our clothing rub together as her large breast press against my chest. I feel my face getting hot as I get desperate for breath.

"Umm.. Kanon, I can't breathe." I struggle to say.

"Gaaah, I am SO sorry!" she lets go of me and has an apologetic face. "I'm… kind of a huggy person." She laughs at herself. With that, I talk with Hibari to find a suitable mission to help Kanon. I find one in which the targets were 2 Zygotes and 2 Ogretails. _Seems simple enough_. I register for said mission and add Kanon as my only teammate.

"I'm gonna buy some items, I'll be up there in a sec, OK?" I notify Kanon.

"Cool. I'll be at one of the terminals." She cheerfully told me with a smile. As I walk over to 'the shopkeeper', I notice Shun leaning against the wall next to him. Oh joy. I pay him no mind and speak to the shopkeeper who was lying on the floor in front of his inventory.

"Let's see, I'll take 10 O-Ampules, 15 Restore Pills, and 5 Restore Balls." I request.

"Alright, that'll be one thousand, three hundred, and fifty Fc." He tells me. I give him my money and collect my items. As I'm about to leave, Shun speaks to me.

"Careful around her." He says in a cocky voice.

"Why?" I ask in a serious tone. "Why should I be, _street punk?_ "

"Cuz… she's a devil."

"Listen, I don't appreciate people who look down on other because they feel like it."

"Tch, whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I turn my back on him and head up to the gate, where my partner was waiting for me. The Den gate opens for us and we head out to the chopper waiting. Kanon was surprisingly quiet on our way to the mission location, whereas usually she's upbeat and talkative. I look at her and she seems more nervous than anything. "Hey, are you alright?" I ask, concerned. She doesn't say anything to me. "Hey, don't worry, I'm right here beside you."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm SUPER ready!" Kanon burst out in excitement. "Those Aragami will be full of holes before they know it!" She almost yelled, sounding… almost evil.

"Um.. OK then! Good to hear!" I answer. As I look down, I see us approaching the Wailing Plains, where Sakuya took me on our first mission. As we are dropped off, I brief Kanon on the monsters we plan on fighting. "Alright. Our targets are two Ogres and two Zygotes." I begin. "Shouldn't be to much trouble right?"

"Umm, of course not." Kanon replied skittishly. I feel like there's something she's not telling me, but I rub it off.

"You'll be OK. If things get out of hand, stand behind me." Assure her with a smile.

"Huh?! 'stand behind you?'" Kanon repeats. "What does that mean?"

"So I can protect you."

"Wait, _I'm_ the medic, so _I_ should be watching _your_ back!"

"Ok, then… stand beside me." I conclude. I see that Kanon still has a puzzled look. "Never mind. We ready?"

"Yeah!" Kanon replies enthusiastically. We jump down from the drop off point and search out our targets. "Wow, there is _not_ much cover out here." She observes. "That could be bad."

"Well there's a structure over there we can stay hidden at." I suggest referring to a small cubical building against the small volcano-looking rock formation. As we search around, we come across our Ogretails. As I'm about to lay out a plan, Kanon lets out a battle cry and starts charging at the Ogretails , firing massive blasts from her Blast-Type God Arc. "Wait!" I try to call out to her, but the monsters are already engaged with us. I close in on one of them; the one Kanon's not shooting. I do away with it and quickly move on to the other one. As I approach it and attempt to attack it, I feel my entire body be hit with a blast of fire. While the blast doesn't hurt, it get knocked back a few feet. As I try to get to my feet, the monster whips me with its tail, and sends me flying a short distance. While the attack hurt, I feel the pain quickly fade away as a flash of green momentarily surrounds me. I manage to land on my feet and swap to my gun to bombard it with bullets alongside Kanon, killing it.

"I-I'm sorry!" Kanon stutters. "I didn't mean to hit you, I just… sorry." That look of sadness she has really gets to me.

"Hey, it happens." I say. "Let's get going." We move out to find the Zygotes and encounter them on the other side of the field. This time, I move in alongside Kanon and we each fore at our own target. As I look beside her, I notice that she isn't trying to aim. Her firing is shaky, and her shots are missing almost not hitting at all. As one of the floating Aragami fly towards her, a look of terror appears on her face and she stops firing. Without hesitation, I jump in front of Kanon and shield the Zygote so it doesn't hurt her. As I block the monster, Kanon rolls from behind me and starts bombarding mortars at the enemy and starts laughing maniacally with a look that can only be described as sadistic. As the Aragami falls to the ground, Kanon finally stops firing and starts sighing heavily.

"Umm... I guess that's mission complete." I confirm. I send for the chopper and we make our way back to the pick up point. I looked over to see Kanon with that face of guilt again, and decide I need to encourage her. "Hey, if it's about you shooting me on accident, it's OK. It happens. You just got back to work after what, a week?"

"You don't understand. That's how I've always been!" Kanon said loudly, starting to tear up. "I'm a total psycho on the field! I get scared and just start firing blindly, and because of that I shoot my friends so much! I talk a big game, but I really have no confidence at all. I'm only in my group because they needed a medic!"

"Kanon…"

"So there you go. That's me. I Know, I'm not cut out for this. You'd all be better off-"

"Not another word!" I cut her off. "Please… don't give up on yourself. Who's gonna protect your mom if you do?"

Kanon lets out a gasp and wipes her tears. "Your right!" She yells. A look of determination appears on her face. "I _have_ to keep fighting. And I'll learn to do it right!"

"That's the spirit! Now lets head home!"

"Roger! When we got to the chopper and it took off, Kanon sat next to me, rather than across from me. At first, I was a little nervous, but it became… comfortable after a little bit. "Silver?" Kanon addresses me.

"yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Huh? What'd I do?"

"For your help. Taking me out, helping me realize why I took this job, and… dealing with me."

"Well, don't thank me yet. I'm not done helping you out."

"Wait… your still gonna help me?!"

"Of course, starting with that aim of yours."

"Thank you…"

For almost the rest of the trip back to the Den, Kanon had a bright blissful smile on her face. Seeing it simply made me also happy. As I found myself eying her, I felt I had to turn away so she wouldn't think I'm a creep. "Silver…" she says again, not sounding like she was directly talking to me.

"Huh?" I responded anyway

"What? Oh I was just wondering… is that a nickname?"

A nickname? "Wha- no that's my real name!" What made her think 'Silver' is a nickname?

"Oh.." all of a sudden she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Haha… I'm sorry, but that's so weird!" Kanon continues laughing.

Embarrassed, I think of a comeback. "Yeah, well… 'Kanon's' not exactly a regular name either!" I fire back at her.

"Hey!" She complains and then punches my arm. We laughed and talked the rest of the way to the Den and joked with each other.

Training Room- Shooting Range

I started by having Kanon fire shots from her… cannon… at a stationary target about 50 feet away. Again, she isn't taking the time to be careful with her shots.

"Whoa, stop, stop!" I tell her.

"Huh? What am I doing wrong?!" Kanon asked anxiously.

"Your not _aiming._ Your just shooting it the targets general direction."

"Well then, what do I do?!" she asks angrily in frustration.

"Hey, calm down". I put a hand on her shoulder to try and help her relax. "I know its not easy, but you've gotta be patient, OK?"

Kanon takes a deep breathe in and exhales it. "Ok…" she sighs calmly. "Now, how do I hit my targets?"

"Alright. First things first, locate your target." I instructed. As Kanon got the shooting target in her sights, she readied her God Arc.

"OK?"

"After that, there are 3 simple steps…

Suddenly, a memory from years ago flashes back; way back when I was a kid.

" _Alright, Silver. There are 3 simple steps to using a gun." Galen said as he instructed me how to use a firearm. "Aim, breathe, fire."_

"Step One: Aim." I say to Kanon.

"Yeah?" Kanon responds as I see her point her God Arc at the target, keeping a keen eye on it.

"Step 2: Breathe."

"Huh? I just did that."

"Trust me, it helps." I advise her.

"Ok…" Kanon once again takes a breath in, keeping an eye on the target.

"Step 3…. FIRE!"

"HHAAAHHH!" Kanon. Screams as she bombards the target with blasts. Good thing its holographic, or I'd feel bad for. Most of her shots hit, only two misses maybe. She gets a little out of hand though and continues firing at the target wildly, eventually missing loads of shots.

"Whoa, OK, Ok." I bring her rampage to a stop and she calms down. "That started out good!" I coached her. "You got a _little_ tooexcited, which is fine."

"Yeah, that was definitely my bad." She admitted.

"Its fine, but there's something else I noticed. The way you grip your God Arc; its to loose in the arms, and to tight in your hands."

"Um… I don't get it.." Kanon puzzles me. I ready my God Arc and swap it to gun-mode to show Kanon what I'm talking about. "Here, you see how I hold my God Arc? I have a somewhat firm grip on the front handle and a firmer one on the back."

"Umm.. O..K?"

"Then, My front arm is basically locked so my gun's knockback doesn't hurt my aim, and my back arm is tight, but I can move it enough to adjust my aim."

Kanon gasps in realization. "That makes perfect sense!" she exclaims. She picks up her God Arc and I allow her take my spot. "Alright. Step one: Aim", she reminds herself. She points at her God Arc at the target again. "Front arm tight, back loose." I hear her mumble to herself as I see her joints locked similar to how I showed her. "Breathe..." She quickly gets a steady breath rhythm going.

"Go slow this time so you don't get crazy." I say as a joke, but she makes no response in order to focus.

"And… Fire!" she does so in a steady pace and stays collected, apparent from the expression on her face. It was more 'serious' than sadistic. The kickback from the shots didn't affect her as much and she hit the target just fine. She comes to a stop and turns to me and gives me a confident smile.

"Heheh, awesome job!" I praise her again. "Not a single miss!"

"I know!" she squeals. "I… know it putting it to practical use will be a challenge, but y'know. Baby steps."

"Exact- Gaaah!" I grunt in pain as my stomach lets out a ferocious growl. I clutch me stomach as I almost collapse to the ground.

"Are you alright?!" Kanon asks me in a panic.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I say as I pick myself up. "That was... my tummy, it's.. rumbling."

"Heheh, C'mon. Lets call it a day and go eat something." Kanon suggests.

Cafeteria-

As we sat down to eat, I didn't see Kota and Tatsumi near the entrance talking to each other I was too busy enjoying a bowl of this weird soupy food called 'Ramen' it had these wiggly noodles and slices of pork and some white swirly thing. No clue what it was, but it was delicious! I gave Kanon a couple other tips and told her what being a New-Type entails.

"Hmph. Look at him." Tatsumi grunted. "He makes it look so easy!"

"I know right? You give her time to get back into things and her they are chatted about who knows what!" Kota added.

"Here they are chatting away like there an item after a _day_ together, but I can't get the woman _I_ like to go out on a single date!" After calming down, Tatsumi lets out a sigh. "Oh well. Guess that's how it works."

"Wonder what there talking about…"

"So is using both weapon types kind of a pain?" Kanon asks me.

"I thought it would be, but really, both types go hand in hand. See, when I Devour", I begin to explain, "not only does it give me more bullets, bit it _also_ generates a one-use bullet from the Aragami I Devour. All while _still_ going into burst!"

"That is SOOO cool!" Kanon exclaims.

"Damn straight! And another thing: in gun mode, I can fire a 'Transfer Shot' at any of my team members, and _they'll_ enter Burst, be they gunner or blader!"

"Wooaaahhh! What other tips do you have?!"

Being as late as it was, Kanon and I decide to call it a night and head back to our rooms. As we walked, I recalled the mail accidentally sent by Kanon to me. "So… how often do you talk to your mom?"

"Oh, at _least_ every couple of-" she begins, then cuts herself off. "Hey wait! I thought you deleted that!" She screamed at me with a fist made at me.

"Um… you can't delete mail."

"Ohhh.." Kanon groaned. "You must have gotten put next to my mom on my contact list when you got added into the system or something."

"I dunno. But I think its important that you talk to your family often. Any other relatives?"

"There's my little sister. But she had to go live with our bastard father while I stayed with mom." She answered, sounding like she hated her father. "I never get to see her. I don't know where to find her; I don't even know if she's still alive!"

"I'm… so sorry. I didn't mean to pry on your family life that way." I apologize. I wouldn't be able to understand that kind of pain. All the family _I_ had died in front of me, one by one.

"It's OK." Kanon sighs. "At least I know my sister's in the wall. That's all I can ask for." Putting her sorrow behind her she perked up and gave me a playful nudge as we walked down the hall. "So what about you? Do you have family?"

"No. Mine was killed" I answer sadly.

"Oh…"

"Don't sweat it. Its been hard, but I've pretty much moved on. You seem to have it much worse that I do-did." I took a moment to try and remember what my mother looked like. I try to think of her gardening, or cooking dinner. But as hard as I try, a can't picture her face. The gentle, caring woman I used to call mom, I can't think of anymore. The only person I can think of is Galen. Those heroic eyes and that smug smile he used to wear and my bandana on his head; I can't help but feel strong at the thought of him. Before long, I pull my head back out to the real world and speak up once more. "So, we'll work on your practice tomorrow?"

"Sounds good…" she said and let out a chuckle. " _instructor."_

"Instructor?!" I exclaim. "I'm no teacher, I'm just trying to help out someone I care about." I realized as soon as I said that, it sounded weird.

As I thought, Kanon gets flustered from my comment, not that I meant for her to. "Y-you _care_ about me? Like… my wellbeing? But… why?"

"Well, why not? Your friends need your help, and I felt like I should. And besides…." A familiar slick smile grows on my face. I close my eyes and ask, "What kind of guy would I be if I simply refused to help such a beautiful girl in need?"

Kanon's face, much like the last few, is now beat red and she struggles to make out a sentence. "Y-your just as bad about that as Eric was!" she manages to get out.

"Aw c'mon! I can't help myself!"

"Not a hint of remorse or guilt. Ladies and gentleman, Eric der Vogelweid's Legacy, Silver!" Kanon said as she sarcastically clapped her hands. "Anyway…" she begins calmly. "It's been a long day. I'm gonna hit the hay. K?"

"Yeah.." I agreed as I let out a yawn. "G'night." With that, I watched as Kanon entered her quarters. Before I proceeded to head to mine, a familiar voice surprises me from behind.

"Well you've seem to got this whole 'handling a lady' thing all figured out!" Kota said from behind me with jealously _quite_ evident in his tone.

"Kota!" I address him as I turn to him. "How… long were you standing there?"

"Let's see, at about ' _I'm just helping someone I care about.'_." Kota answers, mimicking what I said. However, he might have taken it out of context. "I saw you guys chatting away during dinner."

"Dude, did you even hear what we were talking about?"

"No. I didn't! Enlighten me!" he demanded.

"I was giving Kanon tips on how to be better on the field, as well as telling her about being what being a New Type does."

"Wait…what? You weren't y'know, just… eating together?"

"Of course we were eating together, what did it look like?"

"No, I meant… _'together'_ together."

"What? _No!_ Don't know what I've been up to all day? I've been helping her work on aiming and staying calm in the field so she doesn't misfire so much."

"Wha-Oh…" Kota then gave me an apologetic look. "I thought you two were, Y'know, dating. Then was that back there when you were all like 'what kind of guy would I, yada yada?'"

"It's a bad habit of mine." I answer, embarrassed. "I do it to a lot of women I meet about my age. Besides, we've only become friends."

"Aww c,'mon, dude? Where'd that confidence from like 2 minutes ago go? Anyway, now I know your secret!"

"Um… my secret?"

"Yep! All I gotta do I s complement a lady's beauty unexpectedly, right?"

"Umm… if that's how you see it, go right ahead." I told him I let out another yawn start walking to my room again. "K dude, I'm exhausted."

"Aight, then. See you tomorrow!" As Kota walked into his room I could here him talking to himself about how he'd use my 'technique' to win a lady's heart. I toss myself into bed and come up with a game plan for tomorrows training for Kanon. _Should probably work on moving targets, as well as some field training._

A few days later-

After some 'God Arc Rehabilitation' , Kanon has made quite a bit of progress. I took her and Kota on a mission today in the Old City to slay a couple of Gboro-Gboros; mid-sized fish like Aragami with fins. I came up with a strategy that had the 3 of us in a triangle formation around the enemy. That way, I can have as much distance between Kanon's shot's and her partners as possible. Admittedly, I got a little crazy slashing at on of the monster's faces and ended up getting hit fairly hard. Yet, Kanon once again comes through with recovering me before I become incapacitated. When the second and last monster is on its last legs, I stack up a few Aragami bullets and fire all of them at Kota and Kanon, allowing them to enter Burst. "Finish it off, you two!" My teammates bomb the Gboro with flame bullets, killing it dead, and I Devour the core.

"Aww yeah! That's mission complete!" Kota cheers, pumping his fist in the air.

"Psh, that was boring!" I complain, then lean over to Kota. "I mean, that's the coolguy's reaction, right?" I ask him, trying to make sure I impress Kanon. Speaking of her, I see her gazing around the city. "Hey Kanon, we're exfilling, OK?"

"But… I'm not done killing yet!" she sadistically replied. She's definitely still in Burst.

Kota backs up in fear. "Jeez, she's a psychopath!" he whispered to me.

"What can I say? Women are scary." I tell Kota. I notice Kanon calm down, which tells me that her Burst wore off.

"Hey, Silver?" Kanon sheepishly speaks to me.

"What's up?"

"I'm…I'm ready to start working with my unit again!" She tells me.

"Well then", I begin as I smile at her. "Let's go let them know."

Back at the Den, as we entered the lobby, we saw Tatsumi and Brenden sitting in the lower area at tbe left side of the room. I follow Kanon as she approaches them.

"Um.."

Tatsumi acknowledges Kanon's presence. "Kanon! How are things?"

"Go on, ask them." I whisper to her.

"Hmph!" she gathers her courage and finally finally speaks up. "Captain, I would like to start working with you again!" she requests politely. "Please!" she adds.

Tatsumi smiles at her. "Of course, Kanon. Welcome back!"

"It's good to have you back. Kota there was getting a little out of hand."

"What?!" Kota exclaims "In what regard?!"

The rest of the group laughs out loud, including myself. Kota however, acts like a little kid and storms off. "Eh, he'll come around."

"Thank you so much captain!" Kanon happily says to Tatsumi. She then faces me. "And thank _you_ Silver!" she tells me with her face slightly red.

"Oh well, I just… y'know.." Not knowing what to say, there's an awkward silence between us as I feel my face heat up. "Um… anyway, we have a second mission today, so you should get prepped, Ok?"

"Sure! I'll be at the gate!" she says as she runs off to get ready.

I exhale to allow my face to cool down. I then here Tatsumi speak.

"Hey, Silver."

"What up?"

"Kota told me what you've been doing for Kanon."

"Yeah?"

"Yep, and I've gotta say…" a slick smirk appears on his face. "You two really hit it off."

"I don't know what you mean in the slightest." I say to deny a certain possibility.

"Aw c'mon! You know what I mean! It's obvious you two spend more time together than just on training!" He's got me there. In fact, just the other night, I invited Kanon into my living space to show Kanon the new games I got on my handheld. I was gonna show Kota, but he was conked out on the bed.

I let out a sigh of defeat. I look over to see her chatting with the shopkeeper. "Guess your right. She _is_ amazing, both on the field and at home." Anyway, to avoid any more awkward conversation, I change the subject. "I'm gonna get ready to head out." I start to walk away as Tatsumi tells me to take care. Restock my items and register my god arc for an upgrade.

I still don't know why I did this, but it was the only option I had. After I ready myself, Kanon and I depart on our mission with… Soma.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10: Enter AlisaPainful Past

I don't own of any of God Eater characters; Bandai Namco does. Please enjoy and asnalways, be sure to rate and review. Criticism is more than welcom!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 10- Painful Past/Enter Alisa

Top-Wild Zoisite Top

Bottom-Martial Pants

Hairstyle-35; Color- Silver

Accessory- Bandana 2, Black and Red

Flair-Cross Scar

Voice-8

"So… I bet your wondering why were on a mission with Soma today?" I ask Kanon as we departed for our second mission. We sat beside each other in the chopper on the way to the Ancient Temple.

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"Well I thought of something the other day. Your Unit Members each use a Short Sword and a Buster Blade. I thought it'd be a good idea to try an emulate that to sort of get you used to working with them again. Soma is the only other God Eater I know that uses a Buster." I explain.

"Oh, we're still training? I figured I was good to go." Kanon replied to my explanation. "But I guess it'll be good for me still. But can you limit yourself to just a blade?"

"Eh, its no big deal. Oh, we're here!" We arrived at the snowy temple and were dropped off at the rendezvous point where Soma waited. We entered the temple building where Soma was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. "Soma." I addressed him.

"Ugh, why did they make me wait for you? I could have had this done by now!" Soma complained as he picked up his God Arc.

"Because that's not the point of this mission." I answer.

"What do you mean?! The 'point' is to kill the monsters!"

"Well, in this mission, I'm not using Gun-Mode."

"Silver you don't have to-." Kanon started, to be cut off by me.

"Instead, I'm relying on you two. I think It'll be good for all of us."

"Tch, whatever. Let's just go." Soma grunts. "What's the target?"

"A Quadriga." I answered. "Fight one before?"

"N-No..." Soma admits

"Ooh! Ooh, I have!" Kanon chimes in as she raises her hand.

"What's it like?" I ask

"It's this big tank thingy covered in metal! It shoots missiles from its sides and chest. When the chest opens, wham it!" Kanon toldmis in her usual spunky manner.

"Good to know! OK team, move out!" I order.

"Don't give me orders, and for the love of God, don't call us 'Team'". Soma demands. We trek the area for the large-type tank Aragami. As we searched down the flight of stairs to a somewhat open area, we see the huge Aragami around the corner of a building. It has tracks for feet and bears large missile pods on the top of both sides of it's body.

"There it is guys!" I'm about to formulate a plan, but the Quadriga starts charging at me on it's tracked feet. "Geez, it's faster than it looks!" I shout as I barely manage to slip past it's attack. As the monster stops, it does a one-eighty to face us and launches a barrage of missiles at my group. "Kanon, behind us!" I yell as Soma and I open our shields to block the onslaught.

"Usugiri! The Missile pods!" Soma signaled me and attacked the right pod, which I follow through with the left. After hitting it a few times, I Devour the missile pod and feel Burst's rush. I look towards Kanon, who is firing blasts of Divine at the target.

"Huh?" Kanon says as she notices the monster do something. "Guys, the chest!" she shouts. Soma and I stop attacking the pod and drop down to point blank in the Quadriga's firing range. We open our shields and brace for impact. The Aragami launches it's barrage, they explode onto our shields and knock me and soma into the snow in front of Kanon. The missiles are _extremely_ painful, but once again, Kanon comes through with healing. As we get up and I thank her, Kanon is already open firing on the now toppled Quadriga. I ready myself, but Soma charges at the monster without any care. Kanon tried to stop firing to avoid hitting Soma, but she couldn't in time. "Soma!" she yells at the top of her lungs to get him to stop running or to get out of the way.

The shot hits him as he ignores her and he tumbles over. As he regains himself, I see him shoot an icy, angry glare at Kanon. "Finish it off!" I order as I notice the monster start to try and stand up. Soma and charge at it and jab our God Arc's full force into it's exposed chest. Upon puncturing it, we slash our weapons outward, almost cutting the monster in two, then Devour it to ensure it's demise. I collapse onto the ground as Soma and I try to catch our breath. The cold climate definitely wasn't help. "Well… *huff, huff* _he's_ dead." I point out

"Ya think? Or should we slash it some more?" Soma cockily remarks. I stand up and signal for extraction.

"Hehe, you guy were so awesome back there!" Kanon gushes. "Like, did ya even need me?!" I can clearly tell she's joking, and laugh with her. "Just kidding. I'm glad you-."

"No we didn't." Soma butts in..

"Wh-what?" Kanon's happily expression turns into despair.

 _Oh no._ I think to myself. "You heard me. We didn't need you!"

"Shut up, Soma!" I cry out. "If it weren't for _her,_ you'd still be on the ground, and _that thing_ wouldn't be dead!" I point at the dissolving Quadriga corpse.

"She freaking shot me! My God, I've never in my entire life met, let alone worked with someone so useless! If she keeps doing this, she'll get killed like that dumbass Eric!" Soma continued to shout. Anger welled up inside me as I saw Kanon start to cry.

"Damn you, Soma! What's your deal?! An ass to everybody, and you can't even give her a thanks even though she saves your ass!"

"Hey, you're the one who made me come on this mission!" Soma retaliated. He's got a point there. "That weak girl...she's gonna get herself killed one day." He said as he pointed to Kanon, who was now on her knees shedding tears. "All she'll ever be useful as is a fixed turret if anything." He turned his back on us and started walking away. I wanted nothing more than to sack his face in, but I remembered what Lindow said. As I watched him walk away, I noticed Kanon pick herself up.

"Let's go home, Silver." Kanon said in a sad, yet strong tone.

"Yeah…"

On the chopper, Kanon notices the stern expression I wore. I change it to a more comforting one. "Don't worry about anything Soma said." I tell her. "Nothing he said about you is true!"

"What makes you so sure?" she asked me.

"I think I've gotten to know you well during our time together. You're strong; you want to kill Aragami just as much as the next guy or girl, and you have that fire in your eyes when you fight. Most importantly, you have something important to protect. And when someone's hurt, you are _on it_ with the heal! It's like 'huh? Where'd the pain go? Oh snap! My gal Kanon got me!'"

"Oh, stop it!" Kanon giggles.

"No, seriously! Your medical skills are so reliable in the field, and you put other's health above all else." I clarify. "And that, to me, is a statement to the love in your heart for others."

"Silver… do you hate Soma?" Kanon bluntly questioned me after a moment of pondering.

"No, I try not to hate people. Actually…" I begin. "I'm trying to be his friend. To understand him."

"What?! With _him?!"_

"Oh, don't get me wrong, he's the most _unbearable_ asshole I've ever met, but there's something Lindow told me a while ago. He said that you'll won't find a kinder person than Soma."

"Seriously? _Lindow_ said that?! Well, actually it makes sense, given the amount of time they've known each other."

"Right. But he also said that Soma hates seeing his comrades die, which is why he's so distant. So I believe he said those things because he doesn't want someone as kind and loving as you to get hurt."

"Oh, stop it your embarrassing me!" Kanon says as she blushes slightly.

"So please, don't hate him. I believe in him, despite his 'Soma-ness'.

"Silver…how can you be so… quirky?"

"Quirky? What do you mean?"

"I read your database file. You came from the outside after 5 years alone! Yet… your always cheerful and friendly to people?"

"I… guess it doesn't make much sense, does it? But someone special to me helped me stay this way, even when things seem bad, always look for a bright side; a silver lining. That's where my name came from."

"A silver lining…"

We arrived back at the Den to see the rest of my Unit, save Soma awaiting my arrival.

"Hey there, champ!" Lindow greeted me.

"Everyone! Hey!" I gave them all a wave, then I feel Kanon tap my shoulder.

"I've got some… stuff to take care of, so I'm headed to my room, K?" I give her a nod, then turn back to the group.

"Anyway, what's going on guys?" I the group, hoping one of them knew.

"You'll find out in a bit." Lindow replied. Just then, Soma came in and sat down on the sofa. I paid him no mind. "Oh, and here we are!" Lindow says as Major Amamiya approaches us, and another person following. This girl looked about Kota's age, wore a red plaid skirt and a small black top. A red barrette sat atop her snow white hair.

"Good day, squad." Tsubaki greets us. Seeing the Major made me remember the promise I made- and ultimately broke. I turn my head away out of guilt. "I am pleased to announce that a new God Eater will be joining your unit today."

"A pleasure to meet you all." She politely greeted. "My name is Alisa Illinichina Amiela. I've been transferred from the Russian Fenrir Branch. I do hope we work well together."

"Welcome on board, Alisa!" Kota energetically greeted. "There's always room for another hottie!"

"Kota…" I sighed. "Do you wanna be slapped again?"

"Is he serious?" Alisa asked my group. She turns to Kota. "The fact that you've even become a God Eater, let alone survived is astounding."

"You'll have to forgive my friend…" I tell Alisa. "Kota here is a nice guy. Get to know him and you'll see. My name is Silver." I hold out my hand to shake hers, but she nervously backs up a hair.

"Anyway, she doesn't have the same field experience you all do, but her scores in the simulations are higher than anything we've recorded. Better hone your skills." Tsubaki turns to Kota.

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry."

"Anyway Alisa, you will serve under Lindow Amamiya, a talented God Eater and great commander."

"As you wish, ma'am."

"Anyway, Lindow, I have some documents that will need your signature later, but for now, Dr. Sakaki wants all of you to report to his Lab in approximately 15 minutes, after Alisa's medical checkup." Major Amamiya notified us. I have a feeling I know why. Soma, Alisa, Sakuya, and Soma all disperse. As I ready to do the same, Tsubaki stops me. "Usugiri, a word."

I take a seat. "Yes ma'am?"

"I understand you've been doing well here, even helping some of our other God Eaters."

"Yes, that's right. But Major…" I lower my head in guilt. "I wanted to apologize for acting so recklessly when Eric… you know. I should never had begged you to let me go."

"None of it matters now." She replied with sorrow. "I understand you've come to terms with Eric's sacrifice, and have learned from your mistakes?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well…" Lindow began. "Looks like I've got nothin' to worry about. Anyway, the new girl Alisa; it turns out she's a New-Type."

"Wait, seriously?!" I exclaim.

"Yes sir! We'll be outing with her tomorrow. Anyway, go head up to the doc's place, got it?"

"Gotcha! Later!" I bid Lindow and enter the elevator. As I enter the Lab hall, I see Soma leaning against a wall to the side of a vending machine. He stood there sipping a canned drink. I pass him and proceed to the Lab.

"Hey." He says to me. I stop to speak to him.

"What is it?" I try not to sound angry.

"Something's been bugging me ever since the night Eric died. About the Vajra we fought."

"What about it?"

"I've fought a bunch before, and that one was unnaturally stronger than them. And no normal Vajra would try to attack with its tail." Soma explained.

"So, what do you make of it?" I asked.

"I can't say, but I do know we should be cautious. Anyway…" He wondered for a moment. "Have you ever felt someone's presence around the old commercial district?"

"Huh? Um.. no?"

"I see. Sorry to bother you-"

"- you _should_ apologize to Kanon!" I raised my voice. "Why do act so hateful?!"

"What does it matter?!" We were nearly screaming at this point.

"Because I want to understand you!" I exhale to calm myself and I lower my voice. "I just want to get to know you."

"Tch. Get to know me? Understand me? As if."

"What's that mean?" Soma starts walking to the lab and passes me.

"You couldn't understand if you tried to." But I _would_ try to. I guess Soma hasn't warmed up to me yet, whatever warming up is to him. I'll have to spend some time with him and show him that despite the way he acts, I still care about him as a teammate.

When I entered the Lab, Soma, Kota, and Sakuya were awaiting my arrival.

"Ah, Silver! There you are!" Sakaki says out loud. "Now we wait for Lindow, who should be arriving in 5…4…3…2..1!" As the doctor hit 'one', the lab door slides open and Lindow enters. "Perfect! Now that we're all present and accounted for, we can begin."

"Ugh. Is this another lecture?" Kota asks rudely.

"Actually, that was the plan at first, bit I had a change of plan."

"So why the hell am I here?" Soma inquires.

"I've gathered you all here because it's story time!" Sakaki replies.

"What sort of story?" Sakuya asks in curiosity.

" _My_ story. One of tragedy! Of betrayal! Of-." My dramatizing is interrupted by Soma.

"Will you get on with it?!"

"Oh, sorry. Anyway, I'm going to tell you what happened to my brother, and how he died." It hurt me to say, but this is something I need to get it off my chest. "Oi, where do I begin."

"Well for starters, why did Galen leave the Branch all those years ago?" Lindow questioned.

"Right. Well you see our-"

"Wait, you have a brother?!" Kota buts in.

"Kota, let him talk." Sakuya tells him

"Anyway, my brother became a God Eater roughly 8 years ago. But before that we lived in a hidden civilization far, _far_ away.

8 Years ago-

"Excuse us." A man in a blue jacket with a wolf symbol said as my mother answered the door. "Can I speak with your older son?"

"What's this about?" the woman asked cautiously.

"We have an offer we'd like to make. One that could keep your family safe." Galen must have overheard, because he hurried into the room.

"Really?!" He cried.

They talked to Galen about 'Fenrir' and 'God Eaters'. They told him that our family could love inside a safe wall and be promised safety. Galen was all over protecting us, but mom wouldn't leave the people of the town behind. So, my brother joined here and mom and I stayed. We we're miles away, but we had message devices.

Two years after that, our mother was killed in an Aragami attack. After that, my brother went home to bring me to the Branch, and that I would live with a family he knew.

"So that's why he left." Lindow said. "He just said he had 'family business' and he left."

Anyway, when he came back, I was 13. He came to the town with another person: Kaiden. He wore glasses and had long black hair in a tail. I never felt comfortable around him. He was always so stern and seemed to dislike me a lot. He always spoke very sophisticated. Yet my brother called him his best friend.

When our chopper took off, a Chi-You shot us down. Galen and Kaiden killed it, but we had no transportation and no communication, so we had no choice but to go on foot. While traveling, Galen taught me how to defend myself using the sword he later on gave me, how to shoot a gun, and survive in the open world. Even though the trek was painful, having him kept the smile on my face. Sometimes we'd stop help others who struggled to survive, to Kaiden's dismay. But then one day, after about a year of traveling…

A large black Vajra-like Aragami tried to kill us. It had glowing red eyes, an old man's beard, and a creepy smile. It used red electrical attacks and was ridiculously quick. "Dammit!" Galen cursed. "We can't kill it! Any idea's on getting us out of this alive?" he asked to Kaiden. I watched the two stand their ground as I stood ready with flash bombs.

"Just one, only…" Kaiden approached the Aragami slowly. "… _I'm_ leaving alive." Suddenly the black Vajra stops attacking and appears tamed.

"What are you doing?!" Galen asked in disbelief.

"Beautiful, isn't he?" Kaiden eerily said as he stroked the Aragami's beard.

"What the hell Kaiden?!"

"It's amazing, isn't it? If your strong enough, you can tame these divine creatures."

"There's nothing 'Divine' about them!"

"Really? Do you know why I'm even with you two right now? Before I decided to tag with you, Sakaki told me I had 3 years to live. That I was 'too' compatible with my Bias Factor! I feared death and wondered why I'd have to die. Then I realized: Aragami; they ARE Bias Factor, yet they don't die from themselves. Then I had an epiphany: what if I _were_ an Aragami? So I searched for a powerful god to be my vessel; I extracted its cells and injected them into this wretched piece of jewelry and my hypothesis was right! I could destroy everything! The weak would be at my mercy and I would walk this hellhole immortal."

I listened in horror as a large black tail gushed from Kaiden's lower back. At the tip was a large spike tainted with violet traces of Oracle. "Magnificent, wouldn't you agree? Aragami truly are astounding! They rid this world of all the weak until all that remains is one. They call this 'corrosion', but this is… bliss!"

I remember my brothers fuming rage. "Dammit… I thought we were friends! I trusted you!"

"Trust?!" Kaiden laughed. "People live to betray each other in a world where only the strong live."

"Screw you!" Galen screamed as he charged at Kaiden, God Arc in hand. Kaiden barely moved a muscle and traded blows using his tail. Galen slipped past him slashed at the Aragami's torso. Blood gushes out of the Vajra and it falls to the ground.

"You… you just sealed your fate." Kaiden snarled. As my brother was on his last legs, I watched in terror as Kaiden attempted to impale me with his tail. As my short life flashes before my eyes, I see Galen rush in front of me and take the hit for me. "Oh, I know this wasn't the ending you expected, but your fate was sealed the second you cross your blade with mine." As Kaiden rips his tail out of Galens chest, he falls to the ground and looks at me with tears in his eyes. Gathering my strength, I picked up Galen's heavy sword and rushed towards Kaiden screaming at the top of my lungs. As he tries to jab me, I barely dodge it and it cuts across my face. He attempts to thrust at me again, cutting across the same spot, leaving me with this cross shaped scar. I finally drive my massive blade into Kaiden's chest and make him stumble.

"Heheh… weak… brat! People live… to betray and kill each other… any faith placed in them is… wasted" he mutters as I remove the sword and watch him fall to the ground. I rush over to Galen's bloody body.

"Bro, c'mon, you have to get up! You were gonna take me to the Far East! Help me become a God Eater just like you."

"Heh, no Silver. Don't be just like me. Be like _you…_ I know your. *cough* gonna do amazing things!" with his dying energy, he unites his bandana and clutches it into my hand and gives me a smile. He breaths his final breath and suffocates on the blood in his throat.

"No...No, No! Don't!"

Present-

"So there it is. I wept for what seemed like years until I lost the heart to. My brother was betrayed by his closest friend because the world was too weak for him." I summed up.

"Wow…" Kota said in total shock.

"Well that was… I'm at a loss for words." Lindow stated, sadness clear in his tone.

Sakuya had a few tears in her eyes that she was fighting to hold back.

"So here I am, 5 years later: a God Eater of the Far East." I concluded. "It hasn't been easy, but all of you have made things a little better."

"Thank you, Silver." Sakaki tells me. "I know… that can't have been easy. You all may go."

Lindow and Sakuya leave the room first, then Kota approaches me. "Dude… I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do, just say the word."

"I'm OK Kota, thanks." I assure him.

"Anyway, I hear your spending an _awful_ lot of time with Kanon, eh buddy?"

I slightly get flustered sudden mention of this and think of an excuse. "Well, yeah. I was helping her to be a better God Eater obviously!"

"Really? And what about all that time _off_ the battlefield?" Kota retaliates "Heeeh? C'mon dude, just ask her out."

"I-I just…" I can't believe I'm losing to Kota in an argument like this. One minute I'm an absolute lady killer and thee next I'm nervous about _one_ girl..

"That Kanon. She is truly intriguing!" Dr. Sakaki butted in.

"Why's that?" I ask

"Well take a look at this." The doctor showed us a graph on his computer screen. "This chart shows Kanon's compatibility. Look at this!"

"Huh? Is that a lot?!" Kota exclaimed. Soma's interest seemed to peak.

"Let me see that!" Soma demands. He gets in front of me and gazes at the screen. "What?" he gasps. "It rivals mine and Lindow's

"She' not as weak as you think, huh?" I add

"See what I mean?" Sakaki says. "Look at that potential, yet she only has portion of it awakened."

"Heh… that girl…" Soma mumbles and laughed at himself. Without a goodbye or anything, he leaves the room in his 'Soma' fashion.

"Kanon… she's more capable than she gives herself credit for." I find myself in admiration of her. She's wow…

"Hey Siiillvvveeeeerrr." Kota sang in a mischievous whisper. "Your smiling."

"What? I am not!" I deny.

"Yeah, whatever. C'mon!"

End of Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11: The New Types

I don't own God Eater or it's characters. They're all,owned by Bandai Namco. Now please enjoy this chapter and _do_ feel free to rate and review!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 11- The New Types

Todays outing took place in a destroyed subway surrounded by lava; ironically the subway I had planned to pass through to get to the Branch. Well it's a good thing I didn't.

"It's so hot! I'm melting. Melting!" Kota complained.

"Could you melt a little quieter?" Sakuya requested. "Oracle Cells help your body adapt to the heat. Any regular person would fry to a crisp the moment they stepped in here."

"Well it's a GOOD thing I didn't try to stroll through here trying to get to Fenrir." I wittingly chime in.

"Hehe… well you learn somethin' new everyday! Thank _God_ for that!" Kota concludes. "Moving on!"

"Um... we eat those for a living so..."

"I guess Kota's not the 'grateful' type." Soma noted.

"Well neither are you." I quickly add as a joke.

"Shut up! C'mon, lets go kill the damn targets!" Soma jumps off the starting zone, and thus the mission began.

"Hehe, Sorry. Anyway, two Chi-You are the targets, right?" I ask. "Lead the way, Sakuya."

"Actually, I think _you're_ going take point today." She tells me. I don't mind, but I _do_ wonder why I've been chosen to lead the way on so many missions as of late.

"Um.. OK!" I confirm. "Everyone, mission start!" I leap from the start point and lead the team through the fiery subway, which might as well be hell itself. Its frikkin hot down here! We spot an tall Aragami standing on two legs, and had a wingspan of about ten feet or so, with large fists at the end of both of them. Soma and I charge at it, blades ready, while Kota and Sakuya provide cover fire from the rear. As we approached it, the Chi-You taunted us with its finger, as if telling us 'come here'. I shrugged it off and continued to rush. As we closed in, it tried to swipe us with its arm, but Soma and I jumped out of the way, and I followed up by swapping modes and firing Ice bullets on him, which the Chi-You doesn't seem to like. "Guys! Ice shots work!" I shout. As I let my guard down, I look back at the monster and it punched me and sent me backwards about 20 feet. As I recovered, I notice it shoot a flurry of flaming blasts from its hands! Acting quickly, I open my shield and find my injury healed by Sakuya.

"You Ok?" She asks me? "Watch those fireballs, they'll stun you!"

"Thanks!" I tell her, then proceed to make another approach. This time, I watch the monster carefully, and it tries to attack me with a flurry of kicks this time. I slide out of harms way and counter with a quick Devour. As I enter Burst, I switch to gun mode again fire the Aragami Bullet, and out comes a blast similar to the one that the Chi-You shot at me. On impact, the Chi-You surprisingly became paralyzed as if a trap was used. "Well, I'll take it!" I say to myself and proceed to slash at the Aragami, along with Soma. With my gunners' help also, the Aragami dies in almost no time flat and we proceed to next one. "We could have handled that better." I admit. During that fight, I did see Kota and Soma take a few hits; nothing to bad, but still… "Lets try a different approach."

"What do you have in mind?" Soma inquires.

"Hmm… I got it." I answer with a smirk.

Meanwhile Elsewhere-

Lindow snuck down a series of hallways being patrolled by infantrymen with assault rifles. In one hand, a tablet that displayed a map of the area he walked through. He easily snuck past them. After a while of 'exploring' however, when he came to a corner, something didn't seem right…

"Hm? This hallway isn't on the map…" he quietly notice himself as he looks on his map to see that there wasn't that hallway on it. He proceeded down it and came to a seal door that read 'Fenrir Personnel Only.' Lindow laughed at the sign. "I'm a damn God Eater. I'm as 'Fenrir' as your gonna get." The door required a passcode, and Lindow easily guessed what it was. "Oh-Eight-two-eight." The light on the door lit green and he proceeded to enter. After he shined his flashlight around a little, he pointed straight up to see something unbelievable.

"What the hell is that?!"

Director's Office-

"Hmhm, it seems a rat has been found in the basement." Johannes said as he watched Lindow snooping around on his monitor.

"Shall I sic my 'dog' on him?" a voice said from behind.

"Oh, come now, that won't be necessary. If we're going to do _that,_ we at least have to make it look a little more real."

"I suppose your right, what with that girl and all."

"Yes. But Daigo is keeping her in check for us. We needn't worry."

Infernal Subway-

Silver POV

We sighted our target and proceeded with the plan. Soma and I let it see us and let it taunt us to approach it. Sakuya and I fire on it with Freeze. As the monster falls for our trick, it comes running and Soma and I charge in head first. "Wait…" I say as we close the distance. "Kota, now!" I signal. Soma and I both dash to one of the Chi-You's sides and shield our eyes. Kota then throws a flash bomb and the monster staggers.

"Hah! You can't see! You're blinded… by.. the truth! Because you know the truth… inside your head!" Kota struggles to say, trying to sound cool. "Yeah…"

"Kota, don't hurt yourself." Sakuya sighs.

As the monster is blinded, I give the signal. "Soma! The wings!" I charge a devour and grab onto the Chi-You's right wing, making my God Arc hold it tight. Soma does the same with the left wing and we pull as tightly as we can. "Open Fire!" I command. Kota and Sakuya blast it with freeze causing the monster too lose its footing and stagger. I let the wing go and help provide fire. "Finish it off, Soma!" I shout as I switch to blade mode and slash the torso, while Soma leaps up and slashes downward, cutting the monster two four pieces.

"Haha, that was awesome!" Kota cheers.

"Oracle Responses are gone. Now _that's_ how it's done!" Hibari speaks.

"That plan was brilliant, Silver!" Sakuya complements me. "Lindow would never think to grab the wings."

"Yeah dood, and baiting him by pretending to fall for his taunt was GENIUS!" Kota added.

"I'll admit… I'm…impressed!" Soma chimes in.

I feel my face get hot as I receive all of this praise. "Guys, it was nothing, really!" I reply, trying to be modest. "I just figured 'slash and shoot it till it stops breathing!' wasn't a viable option so…"

"Well I think you did amazing today." Sakuya tells me.

I give in to their complements and softly smile. "I give up. Thank you, everyone. I couldn't have done it without you." I proudly walk to the mission exfil with my God Arc over my shoulder, and Kota rushes to walk beside me. I didn't hear Soma and Sakuya chatting behind me though.

"Hey, what's with making him call the shots, if you don't mind me asking." Soma whispers.

"Lindow wanted me to see that he's leader material." Sakuya quietly answers.

"Really, now? I'll admit the kid's got skill, but you think he'll _accept_ a leader position anytime soon? Besides, it's not like anything's happening to Lindow anytime soon either."

"Your right. Oh by the way… you shouldn't call him kid… he's a year older than you"

"What?!" Soma shouted. "Oh yeah… he said so…"

"Hey!" Kota calls out. "What are you two dawdling for? Lets get goin!"

Back at the Den-

I approached Tatsumi who was sitting at a laptop computer at the coffee table on the upper section of the lobby. "You know that's my spot, right?" I joke as I sit beside him, drink in hand.

"Heh, well then I call 'Rank'." He retorts.

"Dammit! Galen used to do that to me! Anyway, whatcha doin?" I ask.

"I'm putting together some strategies for defensive unit positions and… stuff."

"I see. That's your Unit's thing, that's right." I remember.

"Y'know… from what both Kanon and Lindow said, I wouldn't be surprised if you became your own Unit's captain."

"Me, really? I don't think so." I softly say. "I can give directions, but I can't be a leader. Not yet at least."

"Well _of course_ not now, you've been here what, two months?" He focused on his computer work and took a sip of his drink. "I was here for a good while before i considered becoming a captain."

"And how do you like it?"

"Its a big responsibility, and it's got its ups and downs." Tatsumi let out a small yawn and continued typing. "Anyhow, I've gotta finish this. Oh! Kanon wanted to see you. She's in her room now."

"Really? I'll pay her a visit!" I wave bye to Tatsumi and head up to my Section. As I approach Kanon's room closer to the beginning of the hallway, the door opens and a familiar person crashes into me, causing me to fall on floor and me to hit my head. If that wasn't enough, Kanon had lost her balance and fell on top of me, "Owww… again." I groan. As I look up, I just so happened to see her… um… _'pair'_ in my face.

"Sorry!" I hear Kanon say in a high pitch. She scrambles too pick herself up and I see her blush slightly. "I really need to stop doing that."

"It's fine. Ow, bitchtits." I say to myself as I rub my head. Kanon shoots an icy stare at me so powerful, it would probably kill a Chi-You in one hit.

"What the hell did you call me?!" She demanded, the fire in her eyes almost visible.

"Wha-No!" I say, realizing what I had said. "I didn't mean to insult you, I say it all the time!"

"It's true! Said it like 5 times on a mission the other day!" Kota butts in as he passes us by, not looking back.

"Oh…" Kanon calms herself. She reaches her hand out to me and helps me up, which reminds me of the first time. "Um… anyway, here you are, so come in." Kanon showed me into her room, which was similar to mine, but had some plants and a lot of cooking supplies in it, and a small shelf full of what looked like cook books. "Go ahead and have a seat." She insisted.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well…" She brings a plate with a cloth draped over it and a pitcher of tea to the table in front of where she sat me. "I want to thank you for all you've done for me, so I figured…" She yanks the cloth off the plate to reveal an assortment of small treats. "Tadaaa! I made cookies! They're delicciiioooouuussss!" Kanon sang. I stared in awe at the snacks that she made. The simple yet colorful design is so appealing to the eye… and my stomach! "Well don't just stare at them, eat one!" I pick up a small red sandwich like cookie with white icing the middle. I examine it for a moment then take a small bite. Its… amazing! The soft crumby outside and the middle icing blend perfectly in my mouth, and their sweet flavor completely overtakes my tongue as I swallow.

"Kanon… these are amazing!" I told the culinary artist. I finish the rest of the cookie and pick up another one.

"Hmhm.. I thought you'd like them!" She sits down beside me and picks up a treat for herself. "I can't thank you enough for all your help, but I hope this is a start." She told me.

"I didn't you know baked."

"Of course!" Kanon poured us both a cup of tea. "I _love_ baking! Making sugary treats and sharing them with others; seeing their smile when they've tasted what I made. It makes me so happy."

"Well…" I finished the cookie I had. "You have officially… thanked me enough." I look at Kanon, whose head was lowered. "You OK?"

"Oh, I'm fine! Actually, I thought about what you said before. About Soma."

"Really? What brought this on?"

"I passed him in the hall the earlier today. He looked… lonely."

"What do you mean?"

"He was just leaning next to a vending machine. He had a… sad look in his eyes. So… I want to understand Soma too!" Kanon was now speaking loudly a in determined voice. "And I'll prove to him that I'm not the weak girl he thinks I am! I'll become friends with him!"

"Heh, that's great Kanon!" I cheered her on. "I believe you have a better chance than me, even."

"Silver Usugiri, please report to the lobby immediately." I heard Major Amamiya order from the PA. "I repeat, Silver Usugiri report to the Lobby immediately."

"Well, duty calls." I say to Kanon. "Thank you very much!"

"No, thank _you!_ Give me a sec…" Kanon pulls out a small tin container with a stylish, colorful patters on it and neatly places the rest of her cookies in it. "Here, these are there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

"Anything?"

"Yep!"

"Well…" I give Kanon my smile of confidence. "How about… one date?"

"Wh-what?!" Kanon stammered as her face turns bright red.

"Well? What do you say?"

"I…uhhmm…I don't…uhh-" Kanon stuttered for several moments, and I couldn't make out anything she said. I found her stammering adorable, and I give a small chuckle.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Anyway, I've gotta get." I casually said. I got up and started to take my leave.

"Wait!" Kanon cried to me as I got to the door. I turned to face her. "I-I'd love to!" She accepted with a blissful smile.

"OK then. I'll see you later!" I rushed out to the hall, and put my cookies in my room. After that, I hightailed it to the Lobby, where Lindow and Alisa waited for me.

"What took _you_ so long?" Alisa asked me. "And why do you have that massive sword?"

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"It's impractical because of its size and the fact that it can't kill Aragami."

"It's a keepsake. Anyway, sorry I'm late, what's up?"

"A plane from Russia crashed in the Old City. No one died, but all the people who ejected are holed up in the Church there." Lindow briefed us. "Our mission is to safely get them all back to the Far East Branch."

"Well then, lets head out!" I say, in a hurry to help those people

We arrived at the City where we were to escort the innocents to the Far East from Russia. Before we headed to the church, Lindow had some speaking to do. "Well, looks like I get the pleasure of working with _both_ of you. I'll try not to get in the way."

"It's not getting in the way; you two Old-Types can just keep doing what's kept you alive this whole time." Alisa remarked.

"Well, then. I'll do my best to live up to your _high_ expectation of me." Lindow tried to place a hand on Alisa's shoulder, but she let out a gasp and leapt backwards. "Whoa, OK. I take it you don't like me very much. It's fine, I'll grow on you."

"N-no, its… I'm fine." Alisa insisted, still breathing heavily.

"Are… you sure?" I asked, concern for her safety. "You don't look so good."

"Hey, Alisa. I want you to try something. If things get crazy or chaotic, I want you to look up in the sky and count the clouds."

"Count the clouds?" She repeated.

"Yeah. Its really soothing. In fact, do it right now. That's an order."

"But… its pointless."

"No, its not. Try it and you'll see. Wait here till your done. C'mon, Silv."

"Don't worry, you can trust Lindow. We'll be in the church getting the people ready." I notified Alisa. While we were walking, I found it kind of funny that she thought I was an Old-Type. "Guess she doesn't know that I'm a New-Type."

"Hey, Listen.." Lindow began in a serious tone, which was rare for him. "That girl's got some… unique baggage. Still, its hard to find anyone that hasn't seen tragedy in their lives. Look at you!"

"I guess you're right."

"Anyway, I want to ask you a favor, since your both New-Types."

"Anything!" I said sincerely.

"Can you look after Alisa?"

"Of course!"

"And if… _something_ were to happen to me, can you… look after everyone else?"

"What?!" His request shocks me. "That's a little…" I don't have what it takes to be a leader. Just then, Lindow took out a small round object from his pocket and tosses it to me. I barely manage to catch it.

"Belonged to Galen. 'Find someone to pass it onto' he said." I looked at the object to find that it's a compass that pointed east for some reason, rather than north. "It's yours now." Lindow continued to walk towards the entrance to the church. "Find someone lost and help them. And if they loose their way... just show 'em the path."

"Umm…" I pondered for a moment to figure out what Lindow meant. Surely nothing's happening to _him_ anytime soon, right? I stopped thinking and focused on the mission I followed Lindow , God Arc at the ready just in case the Aragami showed up. "Hey, Lindow." I spoke up to ask a question. "Alisa came from the Russian Branch, right? If these people are from there, we were they in separate planes?"

"No clue." Lindow answered. "Maybe they paid for Alisa to have her own chopper. Speaking of which, here she is." Alisa approached is in a grumpy mood. "Well, did it help?"

"They were moving to fast for me to count." Alisa answers with an attitude. "I got tired of it and proceeded to follow you two."

"Well OK then. You didn't do it right." Lindow claimed. We entered the church to see several people sitting against the church walls. There were roughly 50 of them, and several of them were wounded being mended by the other survivors.

"So many injured…" I noted to myself.

"Are you here to help us?"

"Please, don't abandon us!"

"Don't let us die!"

I stare at the large group and decide to speak up. "All of you here: I don't plan on letting any of you die! You're all going to make it to the Far East Branch alive, understand?!" I announce, resulting in many 'thank you's' from the people. "Lindow, how are we gonna get them all home safely?"

"A convoy of trucks is on its way here as we speak. Its _our_ job to keep all these people alive until it gets here."

"No way…" I heard Hibari's say from my ear piece, fear apparent in her voice.

"What's the problem?" Lindow asks

"An uncountable flock of Zygotes is flying in your direction! They'll be at your location in ten minutes at this rate!"

"Ten minutes, huh?" Lindow lit himself a cigarette. "Hey newbies."

"Yeah?" I respond.

"Yes, captain?" Alisa did the same.

"I've got a mission for ya. Protect the church. Not a single one of them bastards gets in." Lindow ordered.

"I've already sent the rest of the First Unit out. They'll be there in about ten minutes as well!" Hibari notified.

"Heh. The band's first gig together. I like. Lindow placed his cigarette in his mouth and gave it a puff. "Alright you two, I've got three orders for you. Don't die, If your life is threatened run. Find cover. Lastly, _everyone_ comes home alive!"

"Of course I'm not going to die. And run? What a joke! Is he always like this?" Alisa asks me, annoyed at his lack of seriousness. "And besides, that was four."

"Yep, that's our captain." I reply. "And I'm proud to have him as such."

We took the next few minutes to formulate a plan of defense. "Alright. When ii give the signal, Alisa and Kota are going to launch an explosive that will separate the monsters. After that, they'll get angry and start charging at us." Lindow briefed us. "Alisa, which mode are you more better at using?"

"If I _had_ too choose, I say Gun-Mode."

"Alright. You'll be positioned on top of the small storage unit."

"Out in the open?" I questioned. "Isn't that risky?"

"Normally, but the Aragami _should_ be after the mass amount of people inside. It's their instinct to go wherever there's the most food. The goal is to knock 'em down as they come." Lindow clarified.

Just then, we heard a chopper from the sky outside the church. A smirk appeared on Lindow's face. "Well then… the gangs all here."

We stepped outside to see a Fenrir helicopter carrying Soma, Kota, and Sakuya. Behind them, a large wave of Zygotes followed; an uncountable amount. "There's… so many!" I stated. I however, wasn't at all frightened. "Well to bad for them. I don't believe in 'strength in numbers."' Just then, Soma leapt down from the chopper to fall in with us.

"Soma, glad you could join us." Lindow cockily greeted.

Soma let out an annoyed sigh. "Let's just knock them out and go."

"Well since you're in a hurry… Silv!" Lindow called out to me. "Stay between Alisa and Soma and I." Lindow and Soma were each positioned on each side of the small structure that Alisa stood on. "They get past Alisa, you know what to do. Other than that, go crazy."

"Roger!" I confirm.

"Sakuya, we ready up there?"

"I'm all set." Sakuya confirms from the ear-comms "Kota, you ready?"

"Uh, I'm all set, ma'am!" Kota replies nervously.

"Kota, relax. Your role is to provide cover fire, but more importantly, make _absolutely sure_ not to let them enter through the broken window!"

"I've got it."

"Now that were all good to go…" Lindow began as he puffed his cigerette, "Shoot the flares now!"

As Lindow commanded, Sakuya and Kota launched large blasts of fire that activated the wave of Aragami. As they come closing in, Alisa shot rapid fire from her God Arc, felling a multitude of Zygotes. Lindow and Soma effortlessly slash through any of them that passed. I leapt into the air to slash any of them that got close to Alisa so she could focus on firing, but on from the corner of my eye, I see a monster slip past her. Without hesitation, I switch modes and blast it with Spark, causing it to fall. I switch back and Devour it and use the shot I gained to take out a small herd of the approaching Zygotes. Alisa gave me a shocked look, and i gave her a 'look' of my own that said 'surprised?'. I continued swatting at the Aragami as Alisa does the same.

"Hehe, sorry Alisa!" Lindow shouts. "Forgot to mention that he's a New-Type just like you!"

"You…" she said to me still surprised, then gave me a huff. "In no way are we the same!"

She continued to go about her position until another Aragami got through. As I follow it into the Church and go for the kill, I see another one enter the window. "Look out!" I cried to warn the injured. I Jumped up and slammed it to the ground and dove down to drive my blade into it and notice it struggle to pierce the monster's flesh. _Is there something wrong?!_ I ask myself. I shrug it off and head back out and regroup.

"Dammit… they're too spread out!" Soma observed

"New plan! Alisa and Silver, break formation. Your free to do whatever it takes to keep them outta that church!" Lindow ordered us. As soon as she hears this, Alisa jumps up to slash at the crowd of monsters. I however am shifting side to side and taking out whatever I can with my blade, being sure to Devour and keep my Burst going. As it feels like Burst isn't enough, Alisa fires a Transfer Shot to me. A fiery feeling erupts in me as I feel my adrenaline rise higher than any other Burst I've experienced. I do the same for Alisa a few times and she begins to fight even more seriously. We slash monster after monster as we find ourselves in synch switching gun and blade modes at once.

Lindow stopped to spectate our synchronization. "Heh, with two New-Types, that's what you get."

"Good Eaters, we're reading a Response Count of 30 Zygotes remaining! Your almost there!" Hibari notifies us.

"Well it looks like we'll get out of this alive after all." Lindow smugly commented. "Destroy all remaining Aragami!" The rest of us strayed from our locations to freely take out any Zygotes that still lived. I attacked a couple that Kota missed by the church's side window while Lindow swatted several others like flys alongside Soma. Sakuya knocked the rest of them from the sky, allowing Alisa to pick them off one by one before they hit the ground. As I took down the last one, I took a moment to catch my breathe.

"Heheh… " i laughed while gasping for air, which I wasn't the only one doing it. "They're… all OK…" I fell on my back to the ground in relief that the monsters were all dead.

"Hey, get up." Lindow said to me. "Missions not done till we're back home. Them's the rules."

The convoy arrived to carry the plane passengers to the Far East Branch and my team helped lead them all into the trucks and assisted the injured. When we were done, the trucks proceeded to drive to the Branch and we called for exfiltration. "Hey guys!" I said. "When we get back, dinners on me!"

"Well, I won't say no to a free meal." Lindow replied. "How 'bout you guys?" He looked toward Alisa and Soma.

"I'll pass" Soma refused. "Thanks…though." Soma showing gratitude? There's something you don't see everyday.

"I suppose I'll join you." Alisa told me.. "I do have a few things to do when we get back though."

As I'm about to ask Sakuya and Kota, I feel a painful burning sensation on the side of my face, right on top of my scar.

"Kid, what's wrong?!" Lindow asked worryingly as I cry in pain. "Answer me!"

"It… burns-Gaaahhh!" I yell, clutching the scar on my face. The agony is to much to bare and I collapse to my knees.

"Everyone! A large Oracle Response just showed up its…off the charts!" Hibari warned us. "Its approaching fast!" Just then, a large black Aragami shows himself on the roof of the church and leaps down to the ground. I look up to it and realize-

"Its you!" I growl, face still in pain. I resist the pain and get back on my feet. As I prepare to stand my ground, I hear Alisa let out an angry scream and saw her run past me open firing on the monster. "Alisa no! It's dangerous!" I tried to warn in vain. As Alisa rushes at the monster recklessly, it released a large field of red electricity around its body as it let out a roar. She manages to back out fast enough, but as the black Vajra lowers its field, its head creeps to turn in Alisa's direction and… smiles? I have to give her a hand, so I charge the monster and leapt to drive my Arc in from above. As it looks to me, I scream and thrust my blade down into its back. My blade struggles to pierce its flesh until:

*crack*

As I feel painful electric surges trough my body, I look with a horrified expression to see my God Arc's blade… shattered. As I hit the ground, barely landing on my feet, I feel my consciousness slipping as a blinding flash lights the area and I feel an arm quickly wrap around my torso and carry me off.

End of Chapter 11

* * *

Authors Note:The code Lindow uses to enter the sealed room. Can anyone guess what it references?


	12. Chapter 12:Sunday

I do not own the GOD EATER series or its characters. Without further ado, please enjoy this chapter and be sure to rate and review!

* * *

GE: Silver Chapter 12- SUNDAY

I woke up in the infirmary feeling groggy and slightly numb. I shook my head a bit to wake myself up. To my right, I see Alisa in a sleeping in a hospital be next to mine. I hear a familiar voice speak up my left. "Seriously? Are you _trying_ to break the big rule?" Lindow asked me as I look towards him.

"Lindow…" I mutter. "How long have I been out.?"

"Since what happened yesterday. Do you remember?"

I take a moment to recall what happened. We transported the people to the Branch, the black Aragami appeared, and then- "My God Arc! What happened to it?!" I ask in a panic.

"Blade shattered to pieces. Licca's not to happy about it."

"Dammit… why?" I wonder. I hear Alisa groan as I look to see her waking up.

"Mmm… Huh?" She quickly sits up to get a look around her. "Wh-why am I in a hospital bed?!"

"You don't remember? We were-" I begin only to be cut off by Lindow.

"You guys passed out after we killed those Zygotes and helped those people. You two worked your asses off yesterday!" Lindow explained, implying his pride in us. "Ain't that right, Silv?"

 _Wha? But… the Vajra!_ Did Lindow not want me to mention it? "Uh… yeah!" I falsely agreed as I came up with an excuse. "I offered to buy dinner and right after that, I guess I passed out! Must have gotten dehydrated."

"That's probably it. You were panting pretty hard too, Alisa and joined him on the ground." Lindow continued the false explanation. "Remember kids: stay hydrated! If you looking to drink something, you could always join me at the bar." Lindow continued, teasing us.

"Lindow, I've already told you; 21?" I reminded him.

"You're asking a minor at _my_ age to drink? You have problems!" Alisa added. Now that I think about it she _is_ only 15.

"OK, Jeez!" Lindow gave up. "You kids are so hung over about drinking ages."

"The only one of us in this room that could possibly be 'hungover' is you." I retaliate to Lindow. He stands there a moment with a defeated look. As I think I touched a nerve though, he starts laughing out loud.

"Haha, you're so right!" Lindow and I laughed together for a few moments while Alisa gave us a confused expression. "Ah.. anyway," Lindow began after calming himself. "You two did outstanding yesterday. I'm proud."

"I was just doing my duty, nothing more." Alisa replied, then looked my way. "You; how long have been doing this?"

"Umm, about 2 months." I answer plainly. "Why?"

"Really? No wonder you were so sloppy out there."

"SLOPPY?!" I exclaim. She thinks I'm 'sloppy'? Sure, I don't have the most graceful fighting style, but still! "How the hell am I 'sloppy'?"

"You're too loose when using melee attacks and you broke formation." Alisa sternly responds.

"Hey! Knock it off, you two!" Lindow buts in." I won't have you two fight after just a single unorthodox mission together. So try to get along as mutual New-Types, 'kay? That's an order."

"Yes captain…"

As we were about to continue speaking, a man in a white lab coat with a short beard and glasses entered the infirmary and approached me. "Hello, Silver, is it?" the man, who I assumed was a doctor addressed me. "You may leave, however I need to do a check up on Alisa."

"O-OK…" I said, slightly confused and surprised at the same time why I was getting out, but I'm not complaining. "I'll see you, Alisa." I give her a wave and exit the room, with Lindow following me out. As the door shut, I make sure to walk a good distance from it towards the elevator. "Hey… Lindow?"

"Hm? Oh, before you say anything; that Aragami. Was it the same one that Galen's killer controlled?"

I wondered for a moment. Double checking in my mind whether it was the same as I remembered it, I think of my answer. "I think its even stronger now, but there's no doubt it's the same one."

"Well what a coincidence."

"How?"

"Remember Alisa's 'unique baggage' I mentioned?" Lindow asks me to recall. I reply with a nod. "Well Alisa suffers from post trauma, which gives her a mental instability. It was caused when she helplessly watched her parents to get eaten right in front of her."

"And that Aragami-" I put two and two together.

"Is the same that killed Alisa's parents: Dyaus Pita." The name itself is enough to make me tremble.

"Does everyone else know about this?!"

"No. I don't want to dump that on them so soon after meeting Alisa."

"You probably right. We should give _her_ time until she's ready to talk about her problems."

"Heh. Kinda like you, only hers might be a little harder. Anyway, Licca's Lab is back there, isn't it?" Lindow noticed I had followed him to the elevator.

"I know, I just need to grab something from my room." Lindow and I entered the elevator and he got out in the Veterans section. Lindow gave me a wave and I continued downward to step into my room real quick to grab the tin of cookies that Kanon baked me. As I get back into the elevator, Kota enters it at the last second to my surprise. "Hey." I greet.

Kota huffed as the doors closed behind him. "I came as soon as I heard you were awake", Kota began, still breathing heavily, "But your up and at it huh?" Kota gives me a concerned frown. "I… heard about your God Arc. How'd it break?"

 _Aw crap!_ I though. I had to either be vague or come up with a lie to make sure he didn't find out about Alisa's condition. "After… you guys left, I think another Aragami appeared. I slashed at it, my Arc shattered and I pass out." I explained. "Alisa's doesn't remember, so don't talk about it. It'll confuse her."

"Right." Kota agreed.

"Anyway", I began to change the subject, "Want a cookie?" I opened the box of cookies that Kanon baked me.

"Ooh! Kota reaches in the box and chows down on the treat he pulled out. His face lights up with glee as he savors it. "This… is.. delicious!" Kota muffles with his mouth full; I'm barely able to make out what he says. The elevator stops on the Lab Section and Kota speaks again as I begin stepping out. "Hey, Silver! Wanna watch Bugarally when I get back?" he offers me.

"Sure!" I accept cheerfully. "I'll hold you to that, OK?"

"Yep! It' a promise!" His words make me recall when Eric promised to hang out when _he_ came back. I shudder in fear of the same thing happening.

"Kota…" I mumble. "Please… Come home alive!"

Kota gave me a worried look and put a hand on my shoulder. I'm sure he saw the tear building up in my eye. "Don't worry. I'm with Alisa today, so I'll be OK." As he closes the doors to go down, he quickly says one more thing. "Oh, we have a lecture today with Sakaki!"

Oh. Yay. Anyway, with that, on my way to Licca's lab, I pass by Kanon. She runs up to greet me with a joyful expression. "Your awake!" she says to me loudly. She unexpectedly pulls me into a hug. "I was so worried."

"Gah! Kanon, I cant breathe!"

"Sorry…" Her eyes are full of worry, as she said. At that moment I realized: I need to learn how not to get myself hurt all the time, or everyone will worry about me.

"Hey I don't plan on dying yet." I assure her. "I mean, if I die, I can't eat these right?" I hold up the cookie container and Kanon laughs at my reasoning.

"You're such a dork!" She teases. "Anyway… so since your God Arc is… y'know, did you want to go on that date you owe me?"

"Actually I promised Kota I'd watch Bugarally with him later…" I explain. I take a moment and then realize how she worded her request. "Wait a sec… I though _you_ owed _me_ a date!"

"Well, you _did_ say when I gave you those, I had officially thanked you enough!" Kanon reminds me. _Dammit, she's right!_

"W-well that makes us even, right?" I stutter, struggling to find something else to say.

"Not exactly. When you offered me, I took it as you making suggestions for other ways too thank me for those".Kanon sassily tells me, using a loophole. "And also, I treated your wounds, _and_ convinced Licca not to be _as_ angry at you."

I let out a sigh of defeat. Lesson here is never try to argue with a girl that likes you. "Alright. Then I guess we owe each other one date." I conclude. "But I promised Kota-"

"Oh, It's fine, go right ahead" Kanon assures me, cutting me off. "You have things planned, so I'll wait, for you." Her tone descends to a softer, kinder one as she speaks.

"Kanon…"

"Anyway, duty calls!" she says to me, clearly quoting me as she waves goodbye. I proceed to Licca's as I watch Kanon leave. I enter to see Licca working on someone's God Arc, assumingly mine. "Licca!" I yell over her power tools to get her attention.

Licca shuts her tools off and looks at me with a fierce expression. "Oh its _you!"_ She grunts.

"Um.. so is there a reason why my God Arc broke?" I ask.

"It _broke_ because _you_ weren't taking care of it!" Licca screamed at me. "You haven't upgraded, had any maintenance done or anything! Lucky for you, it just needs a new blade!"

Licca's anger takes me by surprise. _And this is_ after _Kanon told her to go easy?!_ I thought to myself. I walk over to my broke God Arc with only a partial blade. "I'm sorry… I didn't think the Arcs needed so much care. You worked hard on it, didn't you?"

"Of course, harder than a lot of other ones! God Arcs aren't just objects, y'know." Licca pointed out me. It's a living being that needs care."

"You're right. I guess Galen would be mad if I didn't take care of his sword." I say to relate to her. "OK. I promise I'll take good care of her."

Licca gives me an assured smile. "Thank you. Now, go to a terminal and pick a new blade out. I'm booked right now, so it'll probably be done tomorrow morning

"Seriously?" I shout and slam my fist on her workbench.

"I'm sorry, but I have so many other God Arcs to work on, taking the blade off yours is giving me trouble," Licca explained.

I exhale slowly in order to calm myself down. "Its not you, its just… I just don't want to feel useless, God Arc or not."

"Well according to Tsubaki, your on leave until its fixed."

I sigh, feeling worthless to everyone at the moment. "Alright. Thank you." I say to Licca in a low voice. I head to the terminal to pick out a new blade. I scroll through the options until a certain one catches my eye. "Toxic Pickaxe?" I read. The image showed a pickaxe like blade with a blue end. I register it and I get a transaction in my funds. "Bye Licca." I say as I remove myself from the terminal. I exit her lab and walk down the hall with my hands in my pocket. As I trudge down the corridor, I pass the Major.

"Usugiri." She addressed me.

"Yes, Major?" I respond clearly as I turn to her.

"I'm sure you know, but you're being placed on leave until your God Arc is repaired."

"Yeah, I know. With all due respect, what can I do staying here?"

"You can enjoy some downtime. I say you've earned it." With that she continues walking without saying another word. _Downtime?_ I puzzled. I didn't think we got 'days off'. They _do_ say that God rested on the seventh day, so I guess his 'Eaters' can do the same. I never understood the concept of 'God', so I cant say if he truly exists. But I was lead to believe he had a benevolent heart. Anyway, I finish my philosophical thinking and head to my the Lobby to see who was there. Its relatively quiet, but I see Lindow in his usual spot on the coffee table sofa sipping a beer. "Hey." I casually greet.

"Hey, kid." Lindow replies. "So, got some time off I hear."

"Yep…" I lowly reply

"Don't sound to thrilled about it."

"I just… don't want to be useless."

"What makes you say that? . If anything, you've earned this time."

"Lindow…"

"Y'know somethin', Silv, I saw great things in you the moment I met you. I mean, truth be told I brought you out into the field before anyone else I've ever taken under my wing."

"Huh?!" I take a moment to take in his statement. I laugh to myself and decide to accept my circumstances. "Well then, guess I'll chill for a while. Be right back." I take a leave and go to the nearest vending machine and buy a couple Root Beers. I head back down to where Lindow was and plop myself next to him and 'kick back', as they say.

"Y'know…" Lindow started. "You've really crawled out of your shell over time since you got here."

"Shell? What does that mean?" Did he mean like some kind of animal or something? Or an Aragami?

"You're more 'outgoing'. Like you've opened up to others."

"Yeah, well… its thanks to you guys here. Before I got here, I thought my life meant nothing anymore; like an empty existence." I ramble. "I was almost ready to give up on living, but _you;_ you gave me a chance to make my life mean something to me and other people. You all have helped me start to piece my life together." I realize that my speechifying may be boring Lindow, so I cut it short. "So… thanks Lindow. I owe you a drink or two."

As I looked over to Lindow, he surprising looked as if he was listening. "I don't remember doing a whole lot. I just let you ride a chopper." He said, trying to be 'cool' and humble at the same time. "you're the one that's done the learning. But.. I'll take those drinks."

"Heh. If you say so…" we take chugs of our beverages and both exhale.

"Anyway, 'Lady's Man', lets talk about you're love life."

His suggestion catches me off guard. "My _love life?!"_ I feel my face get hot.

"Yeah! The Branch has some good lookin' women, some your age. For _you_ it should be a cinch, right?"

"Well… truth be told, I've never been in a relationship. " I admit. Lindow gives me a shocked expression. "But, there is someone I do plan on going out with soon."

"Ooh! Who is it? Is it… Licca?"

"Um…No."

"Hibari?"

"Tatsumi would have my head!"

"Gina?"

"She's… scary…" I take a moment and shudder at the though of Gina's 'fighting style'.

"Wait a second… it's Kanon, isn't? She made _those_ didn't she?" Lindow said, pointing at the tin of cookies I'd been snacking on.

"Yeah… Kanon. She's somethin'..."

"Damn, you got yourself a fire woman right there!"

I continued chatting with Lindow for what seemed like ages, then he left to go do something that he wouldn't tell me. As I stood up, Kota, Alisa, and Sakuya entered the lobby through the Den Gate. "Ey! Silver, what up?!" Kota greets me in his usual friendly manner.

"Hey!" I greeted back. "How'd it go today?"

"We've got some… work to do, but things will work out eventually." Sakuya stated. "Alright you two, you're dismissed. Later, Silver!" She waved to us and left for the elevator.

"I'm gonna go restock, then we can meet in the Doc's Lab. K?" Kota informed me. I watched him walk to the Shopkeeper and heard Alisa let out a huff.

"What is _with_ him?!" Alisa asks in frustration. "That Kota; he's uses traps so recklessly and just guzzles down Restore Pills when he's in trouble."

"Alisa, give him a break. He's still learning." I try to tell her, bit she ignores me.

"And our Captain! All he does is fool around unless things go from bad to worse."

That manages to touch a nerve of mine. "Don't insult Lindow!" I demand in a growl. "Lindow's an amazing leader who cares about his teammates." I think for a moment and realize that Alisa is from a completely different Branch; another country. "Sorry...I guess its different here than in the Russian Branch, huh."

"Yes. Things aren't so…"

"Relaxed?" I finish for her. I thought the same thing when I arrived.

"Right. Everyone is so leisurely, they put so much free time into things unrelated to work."

"Well, maybe you just need to loosen up a little. It's not easy, I know." I felt I could relate to her. I was surprised myself when I saw how laid back everything was in the Branch- the Den. "Oh, and as for Kota, he's a _really_ nice person. Get to know him and see. He's someone who's always got your back." Alisa gave me a puzzled look. "Anyway, we should head up to Doctor Sakaki's Lab. C'mon." I stand up and lead Alisa to the Doc's lab, assuming she doesn't know where it is.

When Alisa and I arrived, Sakaki picked up where we left off in our last lecture; about Oracle Cells and how they eat things. Kota of course was snoozing on another seat nearby. During our lecture, Sakaki showed us some images of what 'trees' looked like in certain 'seasons' in a year. Not much of it made sense, but seeing what the world looked like before the world was like _this_ … He showed us images of cherry blossoms. I was taken in by the beauty of the sakura petals floating around the tree until Sakaki switched the image back to one of our world. As he continued talking about how even though Aragami have taken the worlds beauty away, we still have air to breath, Kota could be heard mumbling something strange in his sleep.

"No mom, earmuffs don't go on the cookie…" he said between a couple snores. _I'm sorry, what?"_

I heard Alisa sigh and saw her shake her head in disappointment. "Does he not see how important this is?"

"He is merely Kota." The Doctor replied. "Now, have any of you ever heard of the term 'Nova's Devouring Apocalypse'?

"Yes, it will happen through Aragami fighting one another." Alisa answered.

"Mm.. I think I read about that somewhere…" I pondered out loud. "I can't say I know very much.

"Humanity's extinction will be triggered by a 'Nova', an Aragami so massive and powerful that it will literally Devour the world." As she continued, I see Kota wake from his nap and lift his head up.

"Precisely." Sakaki confirmed. "Now we have no source or the origin of this theory, and many have branded it as nothing but rumor."

"But when the Aegis Project is complete, that'll protect us, right?" Kota chimed in.

Sakaki gave no answer. Instead he pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know what a 'dog' is, Kota?"

"Huh? Of course I do!"

"Umm… what's a.. 'dog'?" I ask.

"You've never seen a dog before, Silver?" Kota asks me, surprised at my response.

"No. Is it some kind of creature?"

"Right. Also know as the 'Canis Lupus Familiarus.' Though fading in numbers, they can be seen around the Outer Ghetto. Dogs are quite intelligent. Though they cannot speak like us, but they have a natural, almost innate form of speaking with other species." I have a feeling I know where he's going with this. "Now, if an Aragami were to take on these qualities, would that Aragami be able to co-exist with us?

"Co-exist?" Alisa repeated with a hint of anger. "Not possible. Humans and Aragami can't live together."

"Well why can't they?" I ask. "If they become intelligent enough, maybe we can reason with them and the fighting can stop."

"How can you even make a suggestion like that?!" Alisa was yelling at this point. "Animals and bloodthirsty monsters aren't the same!" She stands up and takes her leave in a huff. "Anyone who thinks like _that_ shouldn't be here." I watch her leave as I'm reminded of what Lindow told me happened to her.

"Damn, touched a nerve there." Kota says to me. Sakaki excuses us and we walk out the Lab. "Hey, so… something came up, and I have some stuff to do back home. I know I promised that we'd watch Bugarally, but…"

"Hey, it's cool. Do what you've gotta, OK?" I tell him sincerely. "I'll find some way to fill the day." I rode the elevator with him until he steps out into the Lobby.

"You could spend some time with a certain someone. Anyway, Later dude!" he bids me as A smirk appears on his face. "Oh, and uh…don't screw it up today, OK?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Kota!" I desperately ask as the doors close and I see him snickering at the last second. "Oh…" I realize what he meant, then it hit me: he said he had stuff to do in order to give me some time with _her._ "Heh, Kota…" I ride up to my section after the elevator comes back down and I knock on Kanon's door. After a few attempts, I decide to wait for her on the seats by the vending machines. As I sit down, Sakuya approaches me from a room.

"Silver, hey!" she greets as she notices me. "What are you up to?"

"I'm… waiting for someone…" I answer with a slight blush.

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

Did she know it's Kanon? No matter. "Anyway, how bout you?"

"Just got done talking to a friend. Now I've got to find some other way to fill my day." I looked at the clock and realize its only 1:30.

"Well… wanna just chill here for a bit?" I offer.

"Huh? Uh… sure!" she hesitates for a moment.

"Thanks. We haven't really spent any time together outside of missions."

"True. So, what do you usually do in your spare time?" Sakuya asks me.

"Um.. I'm usually playing games and watching shows in my room if I'm not talking to anyone. Are there any shows you're like _really_ into?"

"Well, there is one a lot of us gossip about. It's called 'Canary'."

"What's that?"

"It's a romance drama that takes place in medieval times."

"Mid…evil?"

"You know, knights, kings, castles, that kind of thing. It tells the story of a peasant who lives in the lower quarter of a castle town and its princess meeting by chance and falling in love. But the princess doesn't act like one and the man is actually of royal lineage, and the king is aware of that.

"Wow, that sounds pretty deep. I'll look into it."

"Wanna watch it now?"

"Sure." I say as I pull my handheld out of my pouch and boot up Fenrir's broadcasting network. I search up the show and Sakuya tells me to go to the episode she is on. The main character, Marcus, is crossing swords after finding out the kings true evil intention of forcing the princess into a marriage of convenience. When the princess appears to try and make her voice heard, the king refuses to listen. As the king has Marcus on his knees he prepares to impale him through the chest. To my shock, the Princess jumps in front of Marcus and she falls to the ground. As her father grieves in regret, the princess looks to smile at Marcus in her time of dying. Marcus cannot bare the pain of the loss and impales himself and the credits roll. I look over to Sakuya who is now sobbing into my shoulder. _Women are so emotional._

"I'm sorry its just… so sad!" Sakuya continued to bawl.

"Are you… OK?"

"Heh, I'll be fine. Its just a show, after all."

"Forbidden love, huh? Tale as old as time…"

I sit with Sakuya and wait a while longer. I realize it four in the afternoon and she still hasn't shown. Did something happen? "Dammit where is she?" I ask out loud.

"Who were you waiting for?"

"Kanon."

Sakuya giggles at me. "She told me about you. How extra friendly you are to her, how you spent time trying to help her out. I can tell she's into you."

"How?"

"Woman's Intuition."

"So you just… know?" _Jeez, women_ are _scary!_

"Mhm! Anyway, why don't you ask around and see if anyone knows where she is?"

"Will do. Thanks!" I wave by and head down to the lobby and see if I can find the whereabouts of Kanon. I decide first to see if she's out on a mission and ask Hibari.

"Scuse me, Hibari." I address her. "Is Kanon out?"

"Um… not that I know of." She answers, still focusing on her screens. "I think she came back over an hour ago."

"Hmm… thanks." _Lets see…_ I scout out to see if I can find Tatsumi or Brenden; they should know. After some looking, I find them at a table chatting in the cafeteria. "Hey guys, have you seen Kanon?" I asked quickly

The two gave each other a look and both shook their heads. "Sorry, Silver." Tatsumi apologized. "We haven't seen her today."

"After missions, she _has_ been disappearing as soon as we get back…" Brendan added. "She went on a mission with the guys at the 3rd Unit today though."

"Thanks!" I say. Before I leave I think of something else to ask. "Oh, is she doing better out there?"

"She's doing great!" Brenden answered truthfully.

"Yeah, she's shining out there so much that I almost have to avert my eyes!" Tatsumi adds. "Not without her 'moments' though"

"Well, damn! Alright, I'm gonna go find her. See ya!" I leave to see if I can find any of the 3rd Members, which consists of *sigh* Shun, Karel, and Gina. I happen to see them sitting at a table somewhat far away. I jog over to them and they are arguing likely about something dumb. "Hey, um.. sorry to interrupt your 'discussion' but-

"Ugh, what do _you_ want!" Shun grumps to me. "I'm busy!"

"My times not free, y'know!" Karel added.

"I know. You'd have to pay me to hang out with you. Anyway, I was wondering if you guys know where Kanon is."

"Not a clue, not my problem." Karel said.

"What he said. That chick tried to shoot me earlier!" Shun exclaimed.

I let out a sigh. "What kind of bullet?"

"Don't know. Got out of the way and she didn't fire."

"She was probably trying to heal you, you ungrateful prick!

""You think that sadist cares about MY health?!"

"That's enough!" Gina stepped in. "Silver, can you come with me?"

"Huh? Sure."

"I'll deal with you two later." As I walk with Gina into the lobby, I hear Shun let in a gulp. "I'm sorry about my teammates." Gina tells me as we approach the elevator and step in. "They can be rude sometimes, but they're a decent team. We've just got some work to do."

"Its… I don't know."

"Anyway, Kanon is at the shooting range. She's been going there after missions."

"Heh, guess she's trying to stay sharp, huh?"

"Yeah, she didn't want me to tell anyone, but I think she'll be happy to see you."

"Why wouldn't she want anyone to know…?" I wonder out loud.

"Maybe she doesn't want anybody to worry, but… I do."

"Are you two close?"

Gina gives me a nod. "Of course, she's my best friend after all."

"OK, then! I'll make sure nothing happens to her on my watch!" I declare. "That's a promise!"

"Sure. Alright, I gotta go scold the boys."

Gina turns around and gives me a wave. As I head up to the shooting range, I look in Kanon's cookie box to find one left. "I'll save this for her." As I enter the shooting range, I see Kanon going at it while firing on multiple targets surrounding her meant to look like Zygotes. She's doing a fair job holding her own, which impresses me, but her foot slips when attempting a dodge and she trips and falls to the ground, ending the simulation. "As she lets out a frustrated groan, I reach my hand out to her to help her up. She gives me a smile.

"You seem to be on edge. What's up?" I ask Kanon as we sit down.

"I'm trying to unlock my potential even more.." Kanon admits. "I know I'm doing better! Things have been going so well, but I feel like its not enough."

"Yeah, Tatsumi and Brenden had nothing but good things to say." I take a moment and remember her teams situation. "I… guess it hasn't been easy without a player four, but remember, you don't have to pick up the slack on your own. You have your partners."

"Yeah… you're right. Thanks."

"Anyway, I hear you went on a mission with the third?"

"Ugh! They are the worst!" Kanon started yelling. "Karel kept running off and I tried to heal Shun and he kept getting out of way, like I was gonna shoot him!"

"Don't worry, Gina's gonna give them a _good_ scolding."

"Gina; she's the one that kept me from snapping those guys' necks."

"Dangit Gina, why would you do that!" I joked. "Anyway, I waited for you in our corridor but you never came."

"You waited for me?!"

"Yeah, Kota had some things to do, so I thought I'd wait for you and we could do _that."_

"Oh… sorry. You wasted your day off waiting for me?"

"Well wasn't a _total_ waste." I tell her about the chat I had with Lindow and the show I watched with Sakuya. It turns out, Kanon watches it too. I let her eat the last cookie I saved for her and she's touched by how I munched on them throughout the day. "So… do you want to something tonight?"

"I'm… not up to it. Its been a long day."

"Tell me about it."

"Hey, you had today off!"

"Well, yeah! I mean, I'm gonna get bored." We laughed at each other and stared each other for a moment that lasted forever. I looked away as we broke eye contact.

"Hey, you wanna just… hang around here for a while." Kanon offers as she scoots closer to me.

"I'd like that." With that, we simply sit as time passes us by. Overtime, Kanon inches closer to me. Eventually she leans her head on my shoulder and starts slowly breathing steadily. It's a little weird at first, but becomes comfortable after a while. I notice Kanon start to drift asleep. "Hey, don't fall asleep, now."

"Huh?" She perks up as if waling from a power nap. "Sorry, guess I dozed off.

"Hey… is this…what a date is like?"

"Kind of. Us just sitting together, enjoying the other's company. It's one of the best parts in my opinion." After a while, we decide to walk back to our corridors and call it a night. It almost 8. We bid each other good night, but I almost didn't want her to go. Oh well, I'll see her tomorrow.

The Next Moring.

My God Arc is finally finished, and I've gotta say I'm loving it. "I also installed a new shield on it. Your old one was beat up." Licca informed me. "It's a little slower, but it can take a bigger beating." I examine my new pickaxe shaped God Arc and stare awe until Lindow pulls me into our next mission.

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Author's Note: For those following this story, I apologize for taking so long on this chapter! I've been a little budiernthan usual an whenever i had the spare time, i end up getting writers block. This chapter is a little uneventful but next chapter...


	13. Chapter 13: Song in the Welkin

God Eater and its Characters are owned by Bandai Namco, pls enjoy and dont forget to review!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 13- Song in the Welkin

On the chopper ride to todays mission at the city with Alisa and Lindow, i take many looks at my new and improved God Arc. It had a square edge on both sides of the blade and the top had a pickaxe-like tip on the side. Licca also went ahead and threw on a larger shield, given how beaten up the one I was using was. I took a moment to remember something else Licca said: _"This also has a special effect that might take place when you pierce an Aragami's flesh, so look out for that!"_ My train of though was halted when I heard Lindow continuing to hum loudly the whole ride to the location. The melody was soothing, yet it sounded sad. At a certain point, the notes he hummed got heavier. "Hey Lindow." I addressed him. His humming came to a stop as he quickly turns to me as if waking from a nap.

"Heh. Sorry, was that annoying you?" Lindow asked apologetically.

"No, it actually sounded beautiful. What was it?"

"Oi. I don't know what its called, but its… special to me. Its about accepting ones fate and being strong enough to say goodbye"

"I didn't take you for a song man." I told him.

"I've never heard it before. Where did you hear it?" Alisa speaks up

"Let's see… oh yeah! It was a few years back, Sakuya showed it to me on a disc with the radio in my room. I listened too it a few times and wouldn't you know, my radio broke."

"Seriously?!" I exclaim.

"Yep. I'd have them fix it, but they might break the disc. Anyway, I suddenly remembered it this morning and can't get itout of my head."

"Yeah, music'll do that to ya." I replied. Lindow continues humming to himself until we arrive at the city. Lindow gives us a mission briefing in which he tells us the targets; six Ogres in a building and a Vajra roaming around the city. The chopper drops us off in the central area where the Ogretails were crowded inside a building. We get behind a wall to stay out of site until ready to strike. "There they are. You two ready?" I ask Lindow and Alisa from the opposite side of a doorway as I held my God Arc ready in gun mode.

"When I give the signal, go for it." Lindow instructed with a stun grenade in his hand, ready to through. After pulling its pin and throwing it, Lindow signals us to charge in and attack. A moment after, I shield my eyes when a blinding flash fills the area. As I approach an Aragami, I go for a slash with my new God Arc and pierce through the monsters flesh with the tip of the hook on my blade. As I follow through with slashes, I finish it off with a Devour and its shot on another one behind me and hop backwards to put some distance between us. As I take a moment to back up and look around me, I feel something bump my back. Within a split second, I feel a surging sensation of memories that don't belong to me, ones of mother and father…

I quickly turn around to see Alisa staring me down. Did she have that rush of memories? Without hesitation, we both rush past each other and slash through a 3rd and 4th Ogretail. With one remaining, I step behind it and slap it with the face of my blade. "Lindow!" I call out as I send the Aragami flying towards him. He turns his chainsaw on and rips through the last monster with no effort at all.

"Heh, now _that…"_ Lindow began "Was impressive."

"You know, I take back what I said, Usugiri." Alisa said to me. "You're not 'sloppy' like I thought at first. You moved well just then."

"Thanks, but its probably the new Arc." I reply.

"I disagree, but if you say so…"

"Nah, kid's just being humble." Lindow told Alisa. "Now lets find that Vajra." We scout through the city, but so far no traces of Vajra. As we walk along one of the walls of the outside of the church. As we stealthily traversed the side of the building, I feel Alisa shutter and let out a gasp. I look back to make sure she's OK, and Lindow does the same. "Hey, you OK?"

"If something's bothering you, speak up." I add.

"N-nothings wrong! Anyway, your flanks are clear captain, both the sides and the rear."

"Good. Now lets find that Vajra and skedaddle. I'm getting' bad vibes." Lindow said as we crept around the corner, I heard a familiar asswhole's voice.

"The hell?" I look to see Soma, Sakuya, and Kota at the entrance of the church.

"Hey, guys!" Lindow casually greeted.

"Lindow? What up?" Kota said. "What are you guys doin here?"

"Was this an error?" I heard Sakuya ask as I, also heard Alisa 'hmming' and hawing to herself. "Why did they send both of our teams to this region?"

"Is it just me, or is this _too_ coincidental?" I also ask out loud.

"Eh, it's a problem for later. Lets wrap up the mission and go home." Lindow told us. "Alisa and I will check the inside of the church while your team guards the entrance, cool?"

All of us give a 'yes' and Lindow and Alisa trek inside. We each stand ground in a spot around the entryway to make sure no stray Aragami gets through. I just hope they'll be OK…

Lindow POV

As I lead Alisa into the church to find the last target, I'm getting fishy vibes. Why'd they two teams to cover this city, let alone my _whole_ Unit? Unfortunately, I've got little time to ponder as a white Vajra-like Aragami with a woman's face jumps in through the window. From just one look of this guy-or girl- know we can't handle it alone. "Fall back!" I order to Alisa. "We've gotta cover the flanks!" As the monster let out a roar and leaps down to us, I see Alisa start to shiver.

"Daddy, Mommy! Nooo! Please! Don't eat them!" the girl desperately cries.

"What? Dammit, her mental state!" I remind myself. But this isn't…Dammit! "Alisa, c'mon, you've gotta fight!" I try to encourage her. As she starts to walk backwards, I slash at the monster and hold it off. As this monster knocks me back, I hear Alisa mutter strange words…

"Odin… Dva…Tri…" she says as if in hypnosis… _wait a sec… that's Russian… that doctor!_ "Odin… Dva…Tri…" She repeats. As I look her, I see her aim at… me?! Yet, she manages to snap out of it, or so I thought. "No, stop! Make it stop!" she screams as she fires her gun toward the ceiling. As it starts to collapse, I quickly disengage the Aragami and push out of the way of the falling debris. With another slash, I manage to take out that one, but then trouble arrives…

"You…"

Silver POV-

As I hear screaming, Sakuya and I go into the church to see what happened with Kota covering our rear. As I enter the building, I see Alisa on her knees staring at a pile of rubble now covering the innermost part of the Church.

"Alisa, what the _hell_ happened?!" Sakuya angrily asks as we approach Alisa.

"Sakuya calm down!" I try to tell her.

"No… I didn't want to. Mama! Papa! I'm so sorry!" the girl cried. _Her mental state…_

I hear Sakuya growl as she aimed her God Arc at the rubble. "Dammit!" she screamed as she fired an onslaught of shots at the rocks. I try to help by breaking them with strikes, but nothing works. Soma and Kota back into the entrance where we are.

"Dammit, we're surrounded at every turn." Soma says. Suddenly, I feel a painful familiar burning sensation on top of the scar on my face. I drop to my knees as I scream in agony, even greater than the last time. "Dammit, again?! We have to get out of here, now!"

"Silv, Sakuya! I need you two to take Alisa back to the Den, now!" We hear Lindow instruct from the other side. "You hear me?!"

"Lindow we're-" Sakuya begins, only to be cut off.

"Dammit, do this for me, now!" As we watched in vain, Alisa kept having her breakdown.

"Lindow please! Break through and come with us!" Sakuya begged

"I'd love to, but this guys not gonna let me leave."

"But…

"C'mon, Sakuya. You know I'm good at slipping away." Lindow tries to assure her. "If it gets nasty, I'll bail. Just save me a beer."

As hard as it is for her, Sakuya gives into Lindow's wish. "You… just be sure to come back for it!"

"No! Lindow-gah!" I scream, still in agony. I ignore the pain and finally stand myself up.

"Kid! Remember what I said? What you promised?"

"I know but… I am not letting someone else die for me! Never again."

"Silver… if you don't help them, who will?" Lindow… that's the first time he's ever used my whole name… "I'm _ordering_ you; don't let _them_ die!"

"C'mon! It's not safe here! If we stay we're all dead!" Kota calls out while firing on one of the monsters outside. "Lindow, I never got to learn anything from you! You've gotta come back and teach me!"

"Heh, gladly!"

"Just be sure to follow your own order, Lindow!" Soma demanded.

Yeah, you too!"

"Gaahhh!" I angrily screamed. "I won't go!"

"Silver…" Lindow softly said to try and comfort me. "You still have a hot date of your own waiting back home, right?"

As I feel the burning sensation grow stronger, I reluctantly accept Lindow's demands and decide to leave him behind. "Dammit… Soma, cut us an opening and I'll follow through!" As Soma lunges at one of the large monsters and I follow up with a horizontal strike that staggers it, giving us the opening we need…

Lindow POV.

"Damn… that's a good team right there." I Say as I hear them slash their way through the horde. "just you and me, big guy!" I told the bearded Vajra; Alisa and Silv's demon. "Sorry we don't have an audience." Pita lowers its head and gets ready for our little showdown. "Think they got away…" I mumble as I think about my team. "But hurts to have to leave them like this. Huh?" as I say that, it reminds me of Sakuya's song. I charge at Pita as he begins emanating with a bright red lightning. I corkscrew out of the way and try to slash him, but his armors a little tougher than I'd like it to be. "Tough bastard, aren't ya?" I step back to put some distance between us. I pull out my last stun grenade and get ready to throw. "Well lets see how tough you are blinded!" I yell as I chuck the flash bomb. In the blinding light, I go for a chainsaw slash, but the damn beast is unfazed by the bomb. As the light clears, Pita catches me off guard with an electric spin and sends me crashing into the wall. _The pain… is lessened… when your near, there is no fear…_ the words echoed in my mind.

"Oh man… that did _not_ feel good at all." I groan as I lean against the wall. "Lemme just… rest for a bit." I light my last cigarette and give it a good puff. "I'm getting too old for this. Can I have like… five minutes?" I toss my match on the ground as the black Vajra steps forth. "Hmhm… bet you didn't even notice that…" The monster looks down in surprise as a violet energy surrounds it and staggers Pita in his tracks. With not a moment of thought, I give it all I got with my chainsaw on his right wing, bit its still not enough. "Well if your gonna be all 'teeth and claws', maybe I'll start trying!"

 _Could this sacrifice cost me my life…_

Pita gives me a look and a creepy smile grows on its face. _Heh… guess this is it for ol' Lindow. I have no regrets…. Well, maybe one.._

"Satisfied, I leave you all behind, accepting of my fate…" I recited to myself. As I stop to let my life flash before my eyes I think… _No, I'm_ not _done!_ "But I'm full of grief to leave this life so incomplete…I… am not gonna die here!" I dodge the monsters onslaught, but he's a wee bit to fast for me. As I find myself in a corner with the beasts jaws open. "I'll take my leave here…" the monster attempts to chomp me, I let him have a… little nibble. "After all, you're not _my_ demon. I'll let you keep this though!" I thrust my Armlet arm into the beasts tooth-ridden mouth as he chomps down. I cry in agony as I feel my arm separate from the rest of me and the Oracle Cells in me already start to run amuck. As I'm still cornered, it seems like this is it for me until I notice something in the window. "Gah! Who are…"

Silver POV-

It's been 5 days since we hopelessly left Lindow behind. I want to believe he's OK, but I can't bring myself to with the way things are now. Sakuya's holed up in her room, Alisa's bedridden, and who knows what Soma's doing. I've tagged along with a couple of search parties, but no avail. The only one staying cool about this whole thing is Kota. He tried cheering everyone up, but its not helping. I'm sitting with my head low in the upper part of the lobby. I sit and mope, I hear speaking from the lower section.

"Please, Ms. Amamiya, let us search for him!" a voice that sounded like Brenden pleaded. "We can find Lindow, I'm sure!"

"No. I won't just send you our there blind!" Tsubaki rejected. "The main Unit is mobilized already. Wait for their report."

"But the more people you send, the faster we'll find him!" Tatsumi added, sounding optimistic. "We can do it, I know we can!"

"Enough!" Amamiya demanded.

"Lindow saved us! Not once, but a dozen times!" I heard Kanon say loudly. "Please-

"I said enough!"

"Umm.. Tsubaki?" Hibari addresses her. "The Director wishes to see you as soon as possible."

"Very well. Dismissed."

"Hey, listen here kids." An old man's voice speaks up. "She feels responsible for everybody. 'Everyone comes home' she says. You think she doesn't want to rush out there herself? Its her own brother." I let out a gasp hearing this. I should have known, considering they shared a last name, but still… "She will see him found."

"Guess we have no choice but to wait it out then…" Tatsumi reluctantly said. "I'm gonna go take care of some things."

As the group disperses, Kanon approaches me as I stare at the compass Lindow gave to me. _What was he trying to tell me. Did he know this would happen?_ "Lindow…" I mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Kanon asks me with her arms folded.

"Kanon…"

"How are your Unit mates?"

"We're all over the place. Sakuya hasn't been herself, Alisa is still in a coma. Kota's the only one who doesn't seem too worried, and I'm-

"Well, then, doesn't it fall on you to hold your team together and help them?"

"But I-

"Toughen up already!" Kanon demands me. "Did I sit around moping when Eric died?!"

"No, you worked hard to pick up his slack, and now look where you are." I answer.

"And who helped me get that far?"

"I… did, but that was just… I don't know."

"What the hell Silver? What happened too the 'you' who help when others were lost? That's the you I've gotten to know!" _She's right!_ "So what are you gonna do?"

" _If they lose their way, just show 'em the path."_ I repeated Lindow's words

"Huh?"

"Lindow said it to me when he gave me this." I explained, referring to the compass. "I almost forgot what he asked of me. Thanks Kanon."

"Y-yeah!" Kanon replied.

"I'm gonna go see Alisa, OK? Do you think you could see how Soma is?"

"Sure! I'll bake him some cookies!"

"Thanks. I'll see you!" I as I stood up to take my leave, Kanon put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "

"Umm, Silver?" I look back to face Kanon. "I… told my mom about you, and she said she'd like to meet you sometime."

"I'd love to meet your mom!" I give Kanon a smile and turn back to go see Alisa. As I approach the Infirmary from the elevator, I can hear some commotion in the room.

"Don't look at me!" I hear Alisa demand. "Just stay the hell away! Leave me alone please!" She sounded desperate and hurt inside. _What the hell's going on?!_ "Leave me alone!" she repeated a few times.

"Give her another tranquilizer!" Amamiya orders the doctors. "And change the restraint!"

Alisa then started moaning and repeating the words 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry'. "Papa, Mommy, please… its not… what you think! It's not!"

"Alisa, don't you recognize me? Its Tsubaki."

"I didn't mean to! I never meant to!" _Poor girl. I wish I could do something. Anything._ I approach the door to go in and see her. "You're wrong! It's not me! It's not my fault!" Alisa angrily screamed.

"Who does she think she's arguing with?" I ask myself, confused.

"Why didn't you leave me alone?! Why… Why wouldn't you just leave me alone?!"

As I'm about to open the Infirmary door, I hear a voice behind me. "I wouldn't go in there…" I turn around to see a doctor in white and orange smoking a cigarette. It's the same doctor from before that treated us after we got attacked by Pita the first time. "Sorry, its… better you don't see her just now. Once the medication wears off, she tends too fall apart." The doctor explained. "She'll be better another day, come back then."

"Ok, thank you." I nod at the doctor as I hear Alisa have another breakdown.

"Get away from me! Nooo!"

"I don't think she wants you to see her like this." The Doctor told me. "She cares, even if she won't say so."

"Yeah… please… take care of her!" I beg the doctor.

"Hmhm… don't worry, I'll take care of her." The Doctor told me.

"Thank you." I said as I walked away. Something sounded off about how he said that, but I shrugged it off.

I went back out to the lobby to see Kota minding his own business and decide to see how he's feeling about all of this. "If you're worried about him, don't be. He'll come back on Beer Ration Day like nothing happened." Kota assured me. "Besides, you were out there for 5 years! A week is nothing for Lindow!"

"Heh. Suppose you're right." I tell him. My words are empty, though. I appreciate that Kota's staying cool about this whole thing, but I cant bring myself to. I checked up Sakuya, but she didn't want to be bothered. With all this gloom and grief, I decide to call it a day and turn in for the night.

The Next Day-

After my solo mission, I head up to the Infirmary to check on Alisa. Her doctor let me in to see her, yet she was unconscious. All I could do now, I suppose was simply be there for her. "How is she?" I asked the Doctor.

"She's stable, but she still needs to rest." The doctor told me.

"Alisa… come back to us soon… we need you more than ever." I told her in her sleep.

"There's no use in talking to her when she's like this. The tranquilizers I have are very effective. She'll be unconscious for hours."

"I see…" I placed my Armlet hand on yours to comfort her and all of a sudden, a familiar feeling surges inside me. In a split moment, memories of an adult man and woman being cornered by the Dyaus Pita flash before my eyes. They may have been playing tricks on me, but I'm almost sure I saw Lindow on a screen. I have no time to think as Alisa shoots up from her bed and lets out a gasp.

"Wh-where am I? Why am I so…" she desperately asks, confused as she turns to me.

"What?! No, no, no…" The doctor stammers.

"Is something wrong sir? This is good right?" I ask him

"I… am surprised is all!" he struggled. "If you could excuse me, I have to make a record of this!" the doctor hurries out, leaving me and Alisa.

"Just now… just a moment ago you-

"Hey, take it easy." I tell the girl. I take a look at my hand and think for a moment of what just happened to me. It was like when our backs touched…

Laboratory Corridor-

"Yes! Yes, exactly, I didn't think she'd wake up! I'm not sure what happened but- yes, of course, just as we discussed. They must have 'resonated' somehow. There's no previous data to go off of. Should I isolate her? Your sure? As you wish. I'll leave things as is for now…" The doctor hung up the phone and pounded the wall. "Dammit! First that idiot fails to kill the bastards brother, and now those two resonate?! I hope you two have a plan…"

Infirmary-

The doctor enters the room again and tells me ii need to go. I had a mission anyway, so I give Alisa a goodbye and meet my team in the Lobby, as well as Major Amamiya. "Today's orders have been changed." She informed us. "Your new objective is to eradicate all Aragami in the vicinity. Alisa won't be joining you all. She is on thee mend, but still needs time to heal before returning to the field." Tsubaki's head lowers and a sorrowful expression appears on her face. "On a final note…" she begins. "As of this morning, Captain Lindow's status has been altered. He is currently listed as…MIA. That is all."

"What?" I quietly question.

"That's absurd!" Sakuya outbursts. "We haven't found his God Arc _or_ Armlet! How can that be?!"

"It's not my decision to make!" The Major snaps. "We're not getting and biometrics for his Armlet and longer! We don't have the time for a full scale search with all the new attacks from unrecognized Aragami! I'm… sorry…"

Major Amamiya leaves us as Sakuya stands in disbelief. Soma also walks away without a word. "Sakuya…" I address to try and comfort her. "We can't be certain he's dead."

"I know but, I'm not wrong right?!" Sakuya yells. "I can't believe they're just giving up."

"Get ahold of yourself!" I demand. Sakuya gives me her focus with a tear in her eye. "I know how you feel, believe me. You think this isn't tearing me up inside? We _all_ want to find him, but for now we need to focus on what we can do here and now. We're a couple heads short, so we have to get through this together, as a _Unit_."

"Y-your right." Sakuya agrees. "I'm sorry I took my frustration out on you. Its not your fault. I just…" Sakuya let out a sigh. "I'm gonna go take a walk for a bit, maybe it'll help clear my head. I'll be back in time for the mission." With that, she enters the elevator, leaving just Kota and I.

"Sakuya, if need _anything,_ we're here for you!" Kota said to her as the elevator doors closed. "Man…"

"Kota… thank you." I bid him

"For what?"

"Staying calm during all of this. Our team is falling apart with all of this, but I'm still able to turn to you to talk."

"Seriously? You think I'm calm about this?" Kota began to raise his voice. "Sure I'm not showing it, but this is torturing me inside! Of course I want to grieve and cry! But… if I did that, then its like admitting that what people are saying is true! And I don't _want_ it to be true!" A tear fell from Kota's eye.

"Kota… I'm so sorry."

"I just… if I hold onto the belief that Lindow's alive, then maybe it can give everyone else a bit of hope…"

"Hope…" I pondered for a moment about what Kota said. With my hand in my pocket, I clutched Lindow's compass. "Kota, thanks. What do you say we get everyone here in about 10 minutes? Get this mission over with?"

"Sounds good. I'll go find Sakuya and see what I can do for her. Oh, and I was thinkin', since you both are New Types, maybe you should stick with Alisa for a while."

I give Kota a nod. "It has nothing to do with being a New Type, but I'll be there for her."

"Just uh… don't forget about Kanon, K?" A smirk grows on Kota's smug face.

"Ha, go on, get goin!" Kota leaves to go find Sakuya, leaving only Soma. I sit, alone in the Den waiting for my team members. "Kanon, I hope you got through to him."

5 minutes later-ish, Kanon approaches me from the elevator. "Still moping around here, huh?" she says, having the wrong idea.

"I'm not moping, I'm just waiting for my Unit." I reply.

"Oh, I was only teasing!"

"So did you talk to him."

Kanon let out a sigh. "Well…

Flashback-Kanon POV

I got done baking him cookies and pit them in a box for him. I went and looked in the Veteran's section and saw Karel and Shun talking, and Soma was sitting nearby.

"Hey man, did you here what they said about Lindow? He's MIA now!" Shun gossiped

"Yeah, it's a damn shame, but what did you expect?" Karel replied. "Another Soma Squad martyr."

As you can imagine, I was fuming at this point. "The Harbinger of Death strikes again."

" _What did you do?"_ Silver asked.

Well, I walked up to them, took my hand and slapped both of them across the face!

"Gah! Damn!" Shun excalimed in pain. "what the hell, devil woman?!"

"Call me what you want, but don't you _dare_ talk about Soma like that!" I demanded. "Lindow is Soma's friend, and he may not show it, but Soma cares a lot about all of his comrades!"

"Psh, I don't want to hear the word 'comrade' from someone who shoots people on the field." Of course, with that comment, I give Karel a slap on the other side of his face, which he doesn't take to so well.

"Soma would never kill someone, especially not someone like Lindow!" I walked away from them and approach Soma, who was sitting by the vending machines. He had his head low, but under that hood, I could see the sadness in his eyes. I sat down beside him and tried to look at him. "Hey, hey!" I greet him in a friendly tone.

"What do you want?" he coldly asks me.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." I tell him.

"I'm perfectly fine, now please go."

"Don't lie to me. Here, I made you something." I try to hand him the box of cookies, but he softly pushes them away. "C'mon, they're good."

"If you have time to waste making snacks, you should spend time training."

"I do. I'm making sure to pick up the slack for Eric."

"Tch, don't talk about him." I heard the hurt in his voice.

"I'm sorry. Anyway, what about you? What do you do in your spare time?"

"None of your business!" he was almost yelling, but I wasn't worried. "Silver put you up to this didn't he?!"

"He asked _me_ to because he's worried, and he knows _I'm_ worried!"

"Ha! What a joke. Don't lie to me!"

"What's your problem?!" I scream at him. "I'm only trying to help, and you insist on pushing others away!"

"Call it what you will. And besides, what the hell do _you_ know about me and Lindow?!"

"That you two trust each other as friends on the field! Its not your fault this happened to him!"

"You can worry about Lindow all you want, but I know you don't give a damn about me. Now beat it."

"No, I won't! Not until you tell me what you're feeling!

"Just stay the hell away from me!" Soma screamed at the top of his lungs with tears in his eyes.

"Hmph, fine." I sassily say to him. I grab my cookies and get ready to leave. "But I'm taking _these_ with me. I'll give the to your Unit and tell them that you can't have any."

 _I think he reached his hand out to me, but I must've been seeing things._

Silver POV-

"So that was that?" I asked

"Yep. So umm… these are yours." Kanon handed me the box of delights she had made for Soma.

"Are you OK?"

"Well, I didn't expect him to scream at me but I think he's taking it as hard, if not, harder than anyone else."

"Sounds like it. Thank you, Kanon. You were a big help.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to wait for your team." Kanon bids me goodbye and leaves for the lower half of the Lobby.

In the Veteran's Section still, Soma was sitting on the same bench. "Damn it all…" Soma cursed with a tear in his eye. "Smartass can't even follow his own orders!" he felt a drop fall from his eye and rubbed it off with a finger and examined it. "Heh. I didn't think a monster like me could still shed tears." After he pulls himself together, Soma makes his way out to the lobby where I'm waiting to ask him something.

"Soma…"

Normal POV- Director Schicksal's Office-

"So, it's done." A voice said from behind the Director's chair. "I made it look real for them."

"Good. The infection won't take long. He'll turn in a matter of days." The Director estimated. "And thus, Lindow Amamiya's dream is coming to an end. Hmhm."

"Their little 'team' is bound to fall apart."

"You really hate that word, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Anyways, now we wait for Daigo to work on his end. His usefulness is almost ended.

"Yes. Then nobody can stop _it._ Man will rise, and the Gods will fall."

End of Chapter 13

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Author's Note- i had fun writing this chapter, especially experimenting with a couple other characters POVs


	14. Chapter 14: Resonance of Truth

I don't own the God Eater series, or its characters. Please enjoy the chapter, and if you do, make sure to review down below!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 14- Resonance of Truth

"Where's everyone else?" Soma asked me as he came out of the section elevator. He sounded impatient to get going

"Kota's going to get Sakuya, but there's something I wanna ask you." I told him

"Look if its about that girl again, I don't wanna hear it."

"No, she's fine. But she has a name. Anyway, its about something you said to me once."

"That is…?" Soma inquired

"When I asked you about Eric, you said 'the weakest among us are first to die'."

"And? Your point?"

"Then, what does that make Lindow? Does that make _him_ weak?"

Soma growled at my question and turned away from me. "What the hell are you talking about? Of course he's not weak!"

"Then that means he's not dead." I conclude.

Soma lets out a laugh. "What a simple mind. So, what are you going to do?"

"Well until he gets back, I'm going to try to help everyone get through this. Anyway, wait for the others. I'll be back." I leave Soma and first head up to the Infirmary to see Alisa, who was sleeping. I left a few of Kanon's cookies on a paper towel on the table to the side of her bed. "These are really good, Alisa. Kanon made them." I tell her 'bye' and head up to my room to strap on Galen's sword he gifted me with, but before that, I stared at it for a while and got lost in thought. 'Its funny," I talk to myself. "Five years out there and in here for two months, and now I can't imagine life without this place or anyone here. I place the blade back on my bed and decide to leave it behind. Before heading out, I place a few cookies in one of my pouches wrapped in napkins. I head back out where my group waited and departed to the City.

During our mission, the target was a Kongou, with multiple small Aragami in thee way. I asked Kota if he could keep the small fries busy while Sakuya, Soma and I handled the primary target. He accepted hiss role in an instant. The target awaited us in a building across from the church on the other side of that small storage Unit. Soma and I used Disguise Scents to sneak behind him with a couple charged Devours. As he gets our attention, he tries to roll towards us, but Soma and I dodge separate ways, and I gun the monster with fire along with Sakuya. As I look at her, her expression is furious, more than usual. Her firing is also reckless and sloppy. I dash in front of Sakuya to shield a pound attack from hurting her, but the electric shock from the slam causes me to stagger and get slapped into a wall. To hurt to get up, I lay helpless on the ground, incapacitated. Suddenly, Kota rushes to my side and uses a Link Aid and I stand up on my feet. As I stand up, I slam a flash bomb on the ground and stop the monster from attacking Soma. "Regroup!" I call out. The four of us exit the building as we find a hiding place, I give Sakuya my attention. "Sakuya, what's with you today?" I ask her with a hint of frustration. "You- _and_ Soma- you're not thinking straight!"

"I-I'm sorry, OK?!" Sakuya bites back. "I can't focus the way things are now! I'm just… pissed!"

"I know. But this won't bring him back! So please…" I give her a concerned look. "Don't do things that will get you killed. I don't wanna lose anyone else."

"OK. I've got it!" Sakuya nods and pulls me into a hug. "Thank you."

I blush as her chest presses against mine. "H-hey, no biggy." She lets me go and I turn to Soma. "And you."

"What _about_ me?" Soma asks in a cocky tone.

"The same thing goes for you. Don't die."

Soma lets out a sigh. "OK, _Lindow."_

"Wha?"

"Hmhm, now that you mention it, Silver _does_ remind me of a young Lindow!" Sakuya points out.

"Anyway, lets take this Kongou down! Kota, all the small fries are gone, right?"

"Done like dinner!" Kota confirms. "That… sounded lame."

"K. On my mark, Soma and I will charge him in a pincer. Kota and Sakuya, provide us cover." We get the target in our sites and ready our attack. "And… go!" Soma and I charge the monsters flanks and slash at its sides as Kota and Sakuya shoot its face. Out of nowhere, the monster staggers as a purple liquid starts oozing from its face.

"Its… poisoned?!" Soma exclaims.

Suddenly I remembered what Licca said! This is that 'special effect'. "Yeah, that's right! We'll wear you down! One attack at a time!" I yell at the Aragami. I Devoir it and move out of the way for Soma to Charge Crush the monster, smashing it and dealing the final blow. As the monster breathes its last breath, I hear cheers from Kota saying 'we did it'. "Hey, Kots."

"What up?" He replies.

"Good job clearing all of those other monsters out, and bailing me out. Sakuya, good job pulling it together and having my back. You too Soma."

"We're a team. We keep each other alive." Sakuya reminds me. "I'm sorry I got so reckless. You could have died because of me!" tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Well I'm alive now. Anyway, let's go home." I call for a chopper and we depart the city. On the chopper, I felt in the pouch I placed the cookies it to make sure they didn't break. They got a little crumpled, but they were still mostly intact. I pull out the cloth and unwrap them, causing Kota to stare in hunger. "Here ya go." I handed one to Kota and Sakuya. "A group reward for a mission well done!" I state. "Soma?" I held a cookie out to him and he continues to sit with his arms crossed, refusing to take it.

"I don't want it." Soma grumps at me.

"Aww, C'mon. Why not?"

"She said I couldn't have one, didn't she?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell." I tease.

"I said 'no thank you.' Give it to Kota."

I sigh in defeat. "OK, if you say so." I toss the snack to Kota instead. "Chow down, Kota."

A few days later-

After my mission in the Subway against a large scorpion-like Aragami called a 'Borg Camlann', Hibari told me that Alisa was making a slight recovery. She sounded so excited about it. With that, I went to pay her a visit. Sakuya had been given some time off to rest. Although she said she was fine, I could tell she wasn't sleeping. So I asked Major Amamiya to give her some downtime. When I went tp see Alisa, I recalled what happened when I placed my hand on hers. Expecting what will happen, I place my hand in hers once more. I get sucked into her memories. I find myself viewing a foggy inside of a building. Fromm what it looks like, I'm in a large cabinet, or should I say Alisa is. I here a woman's voice call out 'here we come!'

"No wait, not yet!" Alisa replies to the voice.

" _Ready or nooott." A mans voice says._

" _You can't find me now!"_

Over again, it's a cycle of 'here we come', 'ready or not', and 'you cant find me'. I see the source od the adult voices; a man in a brown jacket and a woman with an orange top under a long grey coat. The couple approaches the cabinet I'm hiding in when suddenly, I hear screams or people saying an Aragami was near. The couple quickly looks away from Alisa and out of nowhere, a familiar black, furry beast devours the couple whole. I feel both myself and Alisa shiver in fear as the Aragami looms towards Alisa and smiles. The woman can by seen handing off the monsters tooth, impaled through the chest.

" _Daddy! Mommy! Please, Don't eat them, NOOO!"_ the poor girl cries. "NOOO! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

The scene fades away to a new one; one of Alisa closer to now in a room similar to the one I got my armlet installed. The same was happening to Alisa as a deep formal voice spoke to her. "So young and defenseless." The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite put my foot on it. "How you must have cursed your powerlessness." I watched as the device clamped itself into Alisa's wrist and she cried in pain. "Overcome the anguish… push past it into fury and you can avenge them…" the man continued. Alisa tried to resist the pain as Oracle Cell pumped themselves into her body. "Yes, fight Alisa, rise above it!" Alisa let out one last scream and the dream-like scene faded once again.

"These are your enemies, the ones that hurt you, Alisa." That voice sounded like the doctor caring for Alisa! "The Aragami exist only to hunt; only to kill."

"Aragami… Only to kill." I saw Alisa once again in hospital pajamas staring at something; a screen showing various Aragami. The pictures cycled through many Aragami; Chi-Yous, Quadrigas, you name it.

"Yes Alisa. They rip away from you, make you suffer. And this is the one… _you_ need to kill." Suddenly, and image of Lindow appeared on the screen.

" _Lindow!" I screamed in my head._

"The Aragami that killed them; the one that Devoured you mama and papa…"

"Papa… Mama…" Alisa repeated in a trance like state.

"You're strong Alisa, you can pull the trigger. Its easy to take a life, just aim that God Arc and pull that trigger."

"Pull the… trigger…"

"Yes, these words Alisa; they will keep you safe: Odin… Dva… Tri…" _What?!_

"Odin…. Dva… Tri…"

"Yes… they will keep you strong and safe."

"Odin… Dva… Tri…" Alisa repeated as the vision turned black.

After a moment, I felt I was back in the real word as if waking from a dream, and my hand was still on Alisa's. A moment later, Alisa woke up and sat up on her bed. "Alisa!" I quietly shouted, happy that she was awake.

"what… happened?!" She collects herself and looks to me. "Usugiri… I felt it… like being one with you; thoughts and memories that weren't mine..." Alisa looks away from me. "Did it.. happen to you too? What did you see?!"

"yeah. I saw your… never mind, I'm sorry." I apologize, not wanting to let her past hurt her.

"Its fine. No point in hiding it now. I had forgotten that day. I pushed it down so deep that I couldn't find the memory." I saw Alisa's eyes start to water.

"I guess it would be easier to forget things like that…" I mumble. "Tell me what happened, how _you_ remember it. I'd like to hear your story."

"Well… my mama and my papa… we were playing hide and seek and I thought I'd be clever." Alisa explained. As she continued, she started to shudder. "I went to hide in a building nearby. They kept calling 'ready or not, here we come. Ready or not, here we come'!"

"Hey, hey, slow down." I try to help her maintain herself. "Breathe.."

Alisa takes a deep breath and it seems to help her and she continues her story. "Anyway, suddenly there were screams that an Aragami had appeared! I should have rushed out, showed them where I was, but… I was so scared! I couldn't move! They came to look for me in the building, but then… There was a gut wrenching sound. It didn't even hesitate! It just… took them!"

"Alisa…" I place my hand back hers to calm her down. "Nobody would blame you for being scared. I'd be terrified too."

"If…if I had known, we could have run! We _should_ have run!" Tears start rolling down her eyes. "I did it! I let them die!"

"No! You didn't!" I yell. Feeling guilty for yelling, I give her a smile. "You didn't let your parents die. They let _you_ live. Believe me, I know what you felt. I've blamed myself for a few close ones' deaths. But I took a look at myself and realized: I'm alive because of them."

"Heh. You're something. All my life, since that day, I lived for revenge against that wretched monster. I could avenge my parents, even just a little."

"Revenge won't make the pain go away." I tell her. Suddenly she clutches her head and lets winces in pain. "Hey!" I get close to her and I hug her as she's curled up in a ball. "You're OK. I'm here."

"I'm sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me…" _I do._ Alisa collects herself as I place my hand in hers once again. "That hand… I felt it before, you did the same thing the other day, right? I'm sure of it!"

"Y-yeah, I mean, its what you do when someone's hospitalized, right?" I reply with a hint of joke. "If you want me to stop-

"I-its fine!" Alisa blushes slightly. "But before and just moments ago, I could feel the warmth flowing into me. Memories that didn't belong to me, ones of… happiness."

"Well… a lot of my memories aren't exactly 'happy.'" Recalled my own past tragedy. "I've had my fair share of pain to."

"Can you tell me about them?"

"Hmhm. Sure."

I tell Alisa my story; how my I travelled with my brother and then one who stabbed him in the back, how I came to distrust and trust people over again. I also told Alisa about how said betrayer controlled the same Aragami murdered Alisa's parents. I also talked about Eric, and how he helped me come to terms with noble sacrifices. My talking seems too help Alisa; she even laughed at a few points where I told about my insult sessions with Shun and Karel. "So, I guess we have a 'demon' in common." As I concluded, Hibari came in to see Alisa, so I left to give them some time to talk. It wasn't till then I realized what time it was; it was past 9. "Maybe I'll see how Sakuya's doing."

Sakuya POV-

I can't sleep. How can I, knowing he's out there somewhere? And all I can do is sit curled up in my bed with my head in my legs. As I sit and mope, there's a memory that flashes back.

" _Hey Sakuya, you in?"_ Lindow asks me as he barges into my room.

" _Ugh. Dumbass! I've said it a hundred times: at least_ pretend _to knock before you barge in."_

" _Oh yeah, totally! My bad."_ Lindow scratches his head all flustered. He goes ahead and plops himself on my sofa, arms on the back as I walk to my refrigerator to get him what I assume he came here for.

" _Whatever, you're just here for my beer ration, aren't you? What, downed your own already?"_

" _Haha, ya got me. But maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You never finish yours anyway. Ooh! How bout a trade, I've got some giant corn-on-the-cob. Huh? Huh?!"_

" _Hah, not a chance!"_ the memory ends with us laughing out loud together. I miss it; the teasing, the banter. Suddenly, I hear a sound come from what seems to be my… fridge? I open it up to see a beer that I _know_ wasn't there before. I pick it up and something falls off the bottom. "What the?!" I look to see a small circular object one the floor. Suddenly, Lindow's voice echoes in my mind.

" _Why don't you save some of that beer for me? Next time."_ What could this mean? I get on my terminal and try to access whatever files are on this device. After a while of digging around, I start to get suspicious. "Lindow… did he plan this somehow? No… that day was already unnatural, too many things were mixed up." I pondered for several moments, trying to make sense of everything. The two teams… commands must have been overridden. And Alisa was acting weird even before _that._ I look around and there's not even a single record of that mission, like it didn't even happen! "Lindow… what are you trying to tell us?..." Suddenly my door opens, which startles me, making me worry that I'm in trouble. Thankfully though, its only Silver.

"Can't sleep?" Silver says to me.

"Phew, its only you. You can be so quiet sometimes."

"Quiet? What am I, some silent protagonist?"

"Oh Ha-ha."

Silver POV-

Sakuya sits me down and offers me something to drink. I decide that I should fill in on what's going on with Alisa. I tell her about her trauma, how Pita killed her parents, and how her doctor used it to brainwash her.

"Ah, I think I understand. Poor Alisa…" Sakuya replied to my explanation. "Thanks for telling me. I really do appreciate it."

"No problem. But I'm also wondering about that... memory… thing that happened."

"I wonder if that's a New Type ability, communicating through a simple touch." Sakuya pondered. "Its incredible, but… still a little odd."

"Odd is an understatement."

"I'll say. Anyway, please stay with her. She could use your support right now."

"Don't worry. I'll be there for her. Anyway," I say, changing the subject. "What are you up to? Have you been resting OK?"

"Yeah, I got a good scolding from Tsubaki the other day."

"That's good. Thank you." I see a small object in Sakuya's hand. "What's that?"

"I found this in my fridge; Lindow must have left it."

She shows me a small grey circular object. "What is it?"

"It's a data disc of some sort, but its restricted to only Lindow's armlet."

I pull out the compass he left me and took a look at it. I realize that Lindow knew this was going to happen. I look on the back and notice something I didn't before. "Huh, didn't see that before."

"Where'd you get that?!" Sakuya exclaimed.

"L-Lindow gave it to me…" I answer. "I didn't notice before, but Galen _and_ Lindow wrote their names on it. Sakuya?"

"Hm?"

"I don't think Lindow's planning on coming back."

"That's… not true! We'll find him!"

"Think about it! Why would he leave something like this for you, or pass this on to me?"

"But its not right to just forget about him like this!"

"Nobody said anything about forgetting him!" I take a moment to stop myself from yelling. "Its like this. Lindow saved our lives, right? So what more can we do to honor his memory if, I repeat, _if_ he didn't make it that to live them?" Sakuya stays silent, unable to think of what to say. "I hope he's alive, I really do."

"Hey, Silver?"

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna get some sleep, I need it."

"Ok. Same." I exit Sakuya's room and ponder as I head to my own.

Sakuya… she seems to be doing better, she's able to openly talk about things now. Kota was telling me he's also come to terms with Lindow's choice. Soma though… who knows what he's going through. I wish he'd tell us.

A few days later-

Before my mission, I went to be with Alisa as I have been. You'd think Kanon would be a little miffed, but they even got to chatting. As I sat for a bit, Sakuya entered the room. "Oh, Ms. Tachibana… H-Hello." Alisa greeted nervously with a hint of guilt. "Thank you for coming to see me. What brings you here, if you don't mind me asking."

"Hello, Alisa." Sakuya greets back in a calm voice. "Don't worry, I'm not here to pass blame. I'm not mad."

"Then why?"

"I need to hear about what happened, from _you."_ Sakuya requested. "I need you to tell me everything that you remember about that day, that moment. I know its hard, and to be honest, I still can't accept what happened. Yet… I cant doubt you. This is the only way to clear my mind."

"Sakuya, don't you think that's a little sudden to ask her like that?" I intervene.

"No, Usugiri, its fine." Alisa assured me. "If it will help Ms. Tachibana, then I'll try."

"Ok… admittedly Alisa, I did tell what you told me about your past, I'm sorry if you didn't want me to."

"Really, its fine!" Alisa repeated.

"Alisa, I know its not easy talking about, but please try, for me."

Alisa takes a deep breath in and prepares to talk. "Well, I've been treated, and still am, for this… problem for years now. Did you know about that?"

"Yes, I did know."

Alisa goes on to tell us about her life at a hospital after _that_ happened. Fenrir then basically forced her into one of there facilities when they found out she could become a God Eater. She claims that the doctors were nice, which I had also once been told, so nothing was suspicious there. However, Alisa then told us that she was place on medication that… curbed memories and made her forget about that day. Then, she mentioned _that_ doctor, the one that was 'taking care of her'. She told us about how he was kind, and even went out of his way to 'help' her all the time. This bastard… _he_ filled her head with lies…. _He_ tried to sic her on Lindow! I feel myself fuming up, but I try to keep it contained

"So your old doctor serves her now? At the Den?" Sakuya asks.

"Yes. Doctor Oguruma, he's very nice."

 _No, he_ acts _nice. Pretending to know you, pretending to_ care. Sakuya spaces out for a moment, likely pondering the situation. "Ah, sorry. Please go on."

"I was treated for my mental problems, trained day in and day out." Alisa continued as we listened closely. "The Doctor found pictures of the Aragami that killed my parents." _I wonder how he got them…_ "When I heard it was here, I begged for a transfer. I swore on my life that I's find it, crush it and tear out its core!" Alisa began to shake. "but… when I saw it _then…_ something snapped! My mind went blank, like falling asleep! And when I woke up, I saw Lindow as that monster that took away my precious family! And as soon as I felt it in my heart, I was already aiming at him, my finger on the trigger…" Alisa couldn't bare to speak anymore and started sobbing uncontrollably. Sakuya gave her a sympathetic look.

"Alisa… I'm sorry. If it wasn't important I wouldn't ask. I'll come by later, just to talk." Sakuya gives the girl a smile.

"I'd like that, thank you Ms. Tachibana." Alisa says, after getting ahold of herself.

"Please, lets keep things on a first name basis. I'd like you to call me 'Sakuya'."

"And please, call me Silver, your good friend!" I agree, giving Alisa a friendly smile.

"Ok! Sakuya, Silver." Alisa repeats our names. "Huh… somehow, I feel a little better."

We say our goodbyes and I head out for the day to come. But that doctor she speaks so highly of… she just straight up brainwashed Alisa! I need to report him. I don't know if anyone will believe me, especially the director, but I have to at least question him next time I see him. Till then, I should just calm down and go about business. I take a deep breath, and tell myself things will be alright. Alisa's recovering well, Sakuya is dealing with things _much_ better, and Kota told me that he's gotten to a point where he can think about things easier. "Yeah. Lindow may not be around, but things will be OK."

The Next morning-

"So, tomorrow night?" Kanon asked me as she finished prepping for her mission. She was referring to dinner with her mother; I'd been holding out on that ever since we lost Lindow.

"Sure. But… it's a little weird."

"Huh? What's weird?"

"Its just that… we haven't even gone out yet, doesn't meeting the parent come after the first date?"

"Well, we spend so much time together, she may get suspicious of you. That's probably why she wants to meet you."

"I guess your right. I mean, this is kind of a first for me." I say, slightly joking.

"Well dress to impress, cause I'm not having you meeting her dressed like _that_." Kanon sassily pointed to my current attire, my Wild Zoisite top and my Martial Pants. And of course, my bandana.

"But… I wear this all the time…" I complained.

"Yeah, exactly! I mean, ya slay giant monsters left and right with a damn pickaxe, who knows how much blood you've got seeped into them!"

I sigh in defeat. "Fine, I'll wear something a little more formal. But with a _hint_ of casual!"

"Thank you. Now, I've gotta get, _you're_ gonna pick out some clothes for the occasion. Capiche?"

She is _literally_ the only person who can give me orders like this. "Gotcha."

"Good! Now, I've gotta go kill stuff, fill them with holes, that fun stuff." Kanon smiles at me like she said a perfectly normal, casual sentence.

"Y-yeah, have fun. I'll see you!" I wave to her as she heads out with her Unit members out into the world. Suddenly, as I watch the door close, a hand slaps itself on my shoulder.

"Hey, buddy, how's your girlfriend?" Kota teases as he comes around from behind me.

"Kanon and I are… not yet an official couple yet." I sarcastically tell Kota. "I… haven't spent as much time as I'd like to with her."

"Dude, I was just messin' around."

"I know. Still, I heard you're meeting her mom?"

"Yep, tomorrow night. I'm… a little nervous."

"I think that's normal. Anyway are you… doin OK?"

"Um, yeah. I'm fine. Why are you so worried all of a sudden?"

"Its just that here you are making sure everybody stays OK during all of this and I bet nobody bothered to ask how _you're_ doing."

"Well, maybe its better like that. I don't like dumping my problems on people."

"But we're your friends, Silver! You're supposed to tell us when your down, quit keeping everything held inside!"

I sigh, knowing that he's right. "Kota… thanks. To be honest, ever since Lindow made us leave him, its been eating away at me. Yet, I tried to stay myself and not let it bother me. But Kanon; she helped me get back on my feet, and in turn, I was able to get Alisa to talk about her problem, and Sakuya is being open with her now!" I felt a little excited that our team was coming together as friends.

"Now we just gotta do something about Soma. What's _with_ that guy? He wants nothing to with us!"

"Just give him time." I looked for something; anything to change the subject. "So… what have you been up to?

Kota and I chatted away for a while about random things. Kota says he got some new game where you race other people in 'cars' around a track. I think he called it 'Final Lap'. He also told me about an episode of Bugarally I missed. To bad; I like that show, bit Kota made it sound so exciting, it was almost a perfect substitute. As we rambled on, to our surprise, Alisa came out of the elevator dressed in her normal attire, with her head low.

"Alisa!" Kota and I said in unison.

"Um, as of today, I've been reinstated." Alisa stated nervously. "I promise I wont let anything like that happen again."

"Great! When are you coming back to the field?" Kota asked her.

"Yeah, we could use an extra God Arc out there."

"That's… still to be decided, I think." Suddenly, a familiar assoholic bitch starts gossiping to another.

"Did you hear about that New Type chick? I heard Shun ask. "She's finally crawling back to her Unit. Geez, way to ham it up."

"The same idiot who left Lindow to die?" Karel replies. "Who leaves a comrade there near one of those crazy new Vajra?"

"Here's the kicker though: she cant even go back into combat! Word around the base is she's all messed up in the head."

"Hah! See man, I told you these New Types are all smoke and mirrors!"

Alisa lowers her head. "I know you feel the same way." She assumes toward Kota and I. "Mock me. I'm ready for it."

"Alisa, we're not gonna make fun of you." Kota says.

"Hey. Those guys; All there good at is looking down on others." I explain. "They've never had anything to protect or anyone die. They're just here to show off." I get a good idea in my mind. "In fact, follow me." I lead Alisa down to the two clowns and whisper to her. "You're gonna love this." I 'casually' walk down the steps ahead of Alisa. "Hey, hey! Street Punk, Pretty Boy, what up?"

"Ugh… what do you want?" Shun grumbles to me.

"What, to busy lowering others to make yourselves look better? If only that were as powerful as a God Arc, then you two would be somewhat competent God Eaters."

" Oh please, look at her!" Karel exclaims, pointing at a skittish Alisa. "This jobs not the place for a little girl like her."

"Then why are _you_ here?" I retaliate. "Who have you lost? What do _you two_ have to protect?!" I'm almost yelling. "Did _your_ parents get eaten alive?!"

"Wh-what the hell man, we-we were just joking!" Shun lies to me, trying to let himself off the hook. " _Right Karel?_

"I'm gonna be honest, I'm just here for the cash." Karel shamelessly admits. "I may be part of the Defensive Unit, but I don't give two craps about the people."

"Wow. I wonder how proud of that you can be."

"What do want me to tell you, we-

"Listen you!" Alisa speaks up. "You don't know what _he's_ been through! What really happened to us out there! You talk down on people, but in the end they're more honorable than either of you! All of us, even Kota have something precious to fight for! What about you?! Why do you fight?!"

Shun and Karel were at a loss for words, shocked by Alisa's outburst. Before long though, Karel simply tsked. "Good speech and all, but the feeling of 'pain' and 'loss' you go on about, I've never had the luxury of. All that matters to me is the dough, and nothing else."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." I say.

"Hey, don't underestimate money! It really can by happiness, power, or even love!"

"What a sad belief." Alisa pitied him.

"So if Shun, or Gina died today, what would you feel?" I demanded from Karel.

"I…um…" Flustered, Karel can't think of anything to say. "Whatever. C'mon, Shun." The two take their leave and I turn back to Alisa.

"Listen, I'm friends with their boss, so if I see her, I'll ask her if she'll let you slap them across the face. Sound fun?" I propose to Alisa, trying to cheer her up. She smiles and lets out a giggle.

"I'd like that." A tear falls down her eye. "Thank you for standing up for me. I appreciate it."

"No prob, I just love tickin' those guys off. And you did a good job too!" I complement.

"I can't stand people who talk down on others like that."

"Me neither. I guess we have that in common." I look around and I can't find Kota anywhere. "Where'd Kota go? Oh well."

"Actually, I had hoped to speak with you privately." Alisa tells me.

"What is it?"

"Well I was hoping, that is if you can, maybe..." Alisa gathers the strength to speak her mind. "I'd like you to teach me! I want to learn how to fight the way I should have! I want nothing like this to happen again."

"So, you want to learn back from square one? That's…"

"Please! I want to be able to fight to protect those I care about!"

"Well… how can I say no to that?" I give her a friendly smile. She gives me a skeptical look and moves her face closer to mine. "Wh-whats wrong? Is there something on my face?" I get nervous, thinking of the horrors that would await if Kanon saw this.

She backs up back to where she was. "No, its just… you have eyes of…innocence."

"Huh? You… can really read people. Anyway, I have a fairly easy mission today, so I think you'll bee able to handle it alright."

"O-Ok.." Alisa replied nervously.

"Don't be so nervous. You'll be fine. If it comes to it, I'll protect you."

"Alright. Trusting my allies… that's the first step."

"There ya go! Now, I've got some things to take care of. I'll be back in about 20-ish minutes." Alisa gives me a nod and excuses me to leave. I go ahead and hop on the terminal to see if I can have any formal wear crafted. After some scrolling, I found a snazzy looking top labeled 'Fauna Suit." It was an orange button down shirt with the collar sticking up underneath a black jacket. To go with it, they had a pair of slender slacks that were bundled with a pair of dress shoes. I order the set of clothing then take a second look at the undershirt. "I'll ask Licca if I can get it in red. Orange is more Kota's color. Maybe I'll ask her about _that_ too."

I make my way to Licca's Lab and see her doing some maintenance on someone's God Arc. "Licca! Heeeyyy!" I call out over her power tools. I hear them wind down as she looks over to me and gives me a smile.

"I thought is was you. What's up?" she greeted.

"I just put in an order for a suit, did you see it?"

Licca pulls out her tablet device and scrolls through her order logs. "Yup. There it is. I'm not very booked today, so it'll be done about midday tomorrow."

"Thanks but, I was wondering I could get the undershirt in red."

"Sure thing, I'll keep that in mind. Everything else is good?"

"Yeah, thanks!" I look to the left side of the table and see my God Arc laying on it. "Can I see this real quick?"

"Sure." I took a long look at my God Arc and thought about how proud to wield it I was. For a moment though, I felt as if I was staring at a person. "You take good care of her." Licca speaks up, referring to my Arc. "She's grateful, and so am I."

I placed it back on the table and remembered the other reason I came here. 'I actually had another question."

"Hm? Shoot."

"Do you… know anyone who specializes in jewelry? Like, necklaces?"

End of Chapter 14

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Authors Note- So I know in chapter 1 I said I'd add song titles that cue what song should be played, but I don't think I'll be doing that. It'll make it easier for me to focus on the story itself.


	15. Chapter 15:I'm Not Ready!

God Eater and its awesome characters are owned by Banai Namco. As usual, please enjoy and be sure to leave a review!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 15- I'm Not Ready!

The mission I let Alisa join me in required us to neutralize a Chi-You in the plains. I like that area, admittedly. The rain is soothing and helps me relax when its not too heavy. On the chopper, Alisa looked a little nervous. I decided to let her be until we arrived and got off at our start point. When we arrive, she's still shaking a little, so I try to help out. "Alisa, don't be scared". I told her. "It'll be alright."

"How can I convince myself that?" She asks me, still timid.

"Just… do what comes natural and don't forget: I'm right by your side."

"And don't forget", Hibari chimed in, "I'm with you too, Alisa!"

"Right, Hibari will warn you, and I'll protect you if things get hairy." I continued to assure Alisa, which seems to help.

"OK. Lets do this…" Alisa reluctantly said. We head out into the field and have our target in sight already. Unaware of our presence, the Aragami is feeding on something on the ground. As we stealthily approach it, I lean over to Alisa.

"These guys; they always taunt with its finger before engaging in battle. And they'll charge you with kicks." I whisper to her.

"Got it. You want me up front or covering the rear?"

"Ooh, Alisa works both ways. Good to know…" a sly smirk grows on my face, earning a confused look from Alisa. "In all seriousness, start with support fire, then jump in with your blade if needed, OK?"

"Got it." I swap to Gun Mode, the same as Alisa, and we fire Freeze on the Chi-You to engage it. As it taunts me, I switch back to my blade and run ahead of Alisa while she provides me cover. As the fist fighting Aragami tries to glide at me, I quickly dash to the side and attempt to jab it. The monster, however quickly followed up with a flaming roundhouse. The beast lands a hit on me and I get blown back. Alisa has a worried yet frightened expression on her face. She musters up a bit of courage and tries to close in with her long blade. She manages to land a few hits, but is struggling to follow the monster's attacks. "Alisa! Fall back if you have to!" I guzzle down a Restore Pill and jump in to assist her. I manage to land a Devour, but of using thee bullet to attack the Aragami, I fire a Transfer Shot at Alisa. Her expression gets more focused as she enters a Level 3 Burst. As the Aragami gets enraged, it aims its open hands at me and fires a flurry of fore blasts. After blocking them with my shield, I use this opening to deliver the final strike. I signal Alisa to follow me through; she once again gathers her fighting strength and we slice through the monsters wings and thus, felling it.

"Oracle Response dropping… and gone!" Hibari notifies us. "Alisa, how are you holding up?"

"Fine…" I here Alisa start to sniffle. "I'm sorry I'm… so weak!" Tears start running down her face as she collapses to the ground. "I'm sorry for having to drag you out here just to help me."

"Stop apologizing!" I yell with a sincere voice. "Alisa… you are _not_ weak! What your trying to do; let go of your past, conquer your demons, _that_ takes the most strength of all. You Alisa, you _are_ strong!"

"But I-

"Remember how you were dedicated to saving all the plane crash victims? Although you didn't show it, you had a look in your eyes that said 'I'm _going_ to save them!'. That was the real you."

"That was… I'm.. I'm scared! Of dying, losing people! I don't _ever_ want to feel that way again!" Alisa cried with both anger and fear.

"Isn't that why we fight?" Alisa looks up at me and lets out a gasp. "I'm scared too. Like I said, people I loved have passed away, and it was because I was scared and weak. But _you._ You're strong enough right now to try and do something about it."

"S-Silver…"Alisa stopped crying and gave me a confident smile. "Thank you."

"Right. Now, lets get out of here and head to the next location."

Between the next few missions, Alisa was quickly progressing, to the point where she was getting close to her old self, skill wise. She told me she was getting her "muscle memory" back. I told her this was good, and that she should use what she knows and just remember the basics. When we got to our next location, I heard Alisa laugh at herself. "I can't believe i keep having you come out here and babysit me."

"Aww, c'mon, don't call it that." Ii reply. "think of it as 'rehabilitation'."

"Heh. If you say so. Look… I know I was difficult last time. I was still scared… But I'll do better this time! I promise!"

After she finished we went to take out our targets; a Kongou and a Gboro-Gboro. The mission went a whole lot smoother; Alisa didn't freeze up or anything. I even went so far as to miss attacks on purpose in order to give Alisa a chance to go for the kills, and she did so almost flawlessly. As all Aragami signatures in the area disappeared, I took the chance to talk to Alisa.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"I feel… better. Not great, but better." She said softly. "And I owe it to you."

"Well... this has kind of been helpful for me, too."

"How is that?"

"When I first took this job, I was so reckless. Hell when I first got here, I didn't even know what 'New Type' meant!" This earns a laugh from Alisa. "But coming out to help you, its helped me remember the basics, too. As I've learned in my time here, I've become better at planning ahead and working together with people."

"Hmhm. You sound like you'd be good captain material!"

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" I notice Alisa get a little lost in thought. "You OK?"

"Oh… I was thinking about the others… do you think they'll ever come to trust me?"

"Well I don't know about Soma and a couple of _other_ people, but I believe they'll trust you in time, especially Kota. He wants nothing more than to help people."

"Well, I have to. I will earn their trust!"

"Huh."

"What now?"

"If we had met a few months ago and this happened, I don't think I'd be able to trust you. I used to have a hard time placing faith in anybody. But then I came to see how they really are, not just certain ones."

"So you trust _me?"_

"With my life."

"Thank you Silver, you're sweet."

I feel my face get hot and clear my throat. "Well, y'know. What kind of guy would I be if I-

"Um… no. Kanon warned me about this." Alisa cut me off.

""Eh, cant blame a guy for trying."

"Silver, Alisa!" Hibari suddenly shouted in our ears. "You have to board the exfil chopper immediately!"

"Hibari, whats wrong?!" I ask in a slight panic.

"Aragami have broken through the Defensive Wall!"

"They _what?"_ Alisa exclaimed. Without a moments hesitation, we hightail it over to our exfiltration point and fly back to the Branch.

"We're short a few Defensive Unit members today. They're holding off the smaller Aragami, but its only a matter of time before a large side Aragami gets in!" Hibari informed us.

After a 20 minutes flight that seemed to last forever, we finally made it to the Branch. From above, I could see a number of small Aragami entering a hole in the wall, yet being cut down by 3 or 4 other God Eaters. As thee last of them were cut down, it seemed my help was no longer needed. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing everything is under control. "Thank goodness they pulled through." I said.

"No! Not there!" Hibari panicked. "A-a large size Aragami's trying to break through another section of the wall!"

"Hey!" I shout to the pilot. "Let us help who's over there!"

"Silver…" Hibari spoke in a scared tone. "There are no God Eaters over there."

"What? Then… take us still! Can we get some back-up?"

"There's no one… the First Unit is occupied and-" I heard chatter in the background that I couldn't quite make out. "Silver! Someone just opened up! They're on the way to the Aragami's position!"

"Thanks!" The pilot takes us over to rendezvous point and I thought to ask what kind of Aragami it was . "Hibari, what's the Aragami we have to fight?"

"A Borg Camlann."

"Dammit… admittedly I've never fought one before, nor do I know what it looks like."

"It looks like a scorpion." Alisa explained.

"What's a scorpion?" Alisa face palmed and sighed. We arrive at the location of where the Aragami was about too break the wall. The wall looked like it was about to shatter at any moment, so I told Alisa that we were to wait on the inside until it breaks in. We leapt down to the ground and got ourselves ready for when the monster broke in. As wee stood our ground, I heard rapid footsteps and huffing getting closer and closer. As I look behind me, I see our third member, and you wouldn't believe who it was. He had an unusual serious and worried expression. "Shun…"

"Hey…" he said in a low tone. He had an apologetic look on his face, like he was guilty of something.

I looked at the wall as I continued to hear the loud sound of the monster trying to break through as the cracks expanded and eventually break. "Here it comes!" I shouted, signaling the others to be ready. I pulled out a Snare Trap to give us an opening as soon as it entered. As the wall finally shattered, I saw a large Aragami with multiple pointy legs and claws that kind of looked like a shield. It let out a roar and attempted to jab with its claws. I quickly evaded and threw the trap and paralyzed the creature. As I go in for an attack, I look up and I notice something awful and familiar. "That… that tail!" The image of my brother getting impaled with a similar and larger tail flashed in my mind. I froze up and trembled as I stared at the tail, ruining the opening I had created.

"Silver!" Alisa shouted as she slashed at the Aragami. "What are you doing?! Are you gonna let _your_ fears control you now?" Alisa was right… I can't let some pointy tail make me cower in fear.

I get me head back in the right place and I get focused. "Thank Alisa!" I call out as I rush in for a flurry of slashes. The monster pits its claws together in front of his face and it really did look like a shield. "Who do you think you are, having two faces?!" I shouted as I bombed the creatures shield. Although I used multiple shots, the shield didn't budge. The Borg Camlann crouched and then it quickly rotated its body in a full circle, sweeping its tail around. I get slapped by it, but land on my feet and move it for a counter attack as Shun follows me through. He slashes at the right claw, and I at the right. The Camlann tries to jab us with them, but we slide out of harms way in time, and I get a good hit in with my pickaxe tip, piercing the claw. Notice a purple substance oozing from it.

"Haha, Poison!" Shun cheers. "Works every time!" I notice the same on the other claw, presuming that he also poisoned it with his long blade. The Aragami's claws crack, revealing an orange-ish glow in the cracks. "Heh. That shield's useless now!"

The Aragami gets enraged and it tries to rapidly strike us with its tail. As I flip backwards, I notice the tail about to hit shun in the chest and that one scene plays back. "Shun!" I cry. Before getting impaled though, he jumps backwards, only getting grazed in the shoulder.

"Gah. I'm OK." He said, though he sounded in pain.

"Here!" Alisa shot him with a Heal Bullet. "It wont fix it completely, but it'll help!"

We get back to the fight and notice the monster's tail is driven so deep into the ground that its stuck. I smile and signal my teammates to strike it. After multiple slashes, the tail is chopped straight off, leaking blood all over. The monster staggers and Alisa and I use Transfer Shots on both each other and Shun. We all leap up and drive our God Arcs through Borg Camlann's back and it roars a dying cry. We catch our breath and stare down the dead Aragami.

"Heh, we did it…" I said, both laughing and gasping for air. "Good job you guys." As we took a moment to rest, I saw Gina and Karel approaching us, God Arcs at hand.

"There you are." Gina said teasingly.

"Haven't we told you not to run off?" Karel added "If you die, you can't pay me back."

"Hey guys, a little late, don'tcha think?" Shun replies to them. He catches his breath and turns to me. "Hey, listen-

"Multiple small Aragami detected near the central residential area! Requesting immediate assistance!" Hibari shout through the ear pieces. _That's where Kota's family lives!_

"What?! No!" Shun cries. Without a any hesitation, he dashes off in the direction Hibari spoke of as fast as I think he could. I quickly started after him to catch up, with the others following behind.

"Hey, hold it!" I call out. Shun ignores me and continues running.

"Shun! Stop!" Gina forcibly yells. "That's an order!"

Shun lets out a grumble and stops. He turns to us with an angered face. "If I don't hurry, they're going to die!" He screams, almost unable to control himself.

"Shun, calm down!"

"I have to help them!" He talks back. "Its my job, right?" he rushes off again and I proceed to follow him. We slashed through several Zygotes that lingered around the area, and thankfully, nobody from what I,saw had been hurt. After what seemed like ages of running, we arrived in the area to find a surprising sight. The residents were completely unharmed. In fact, most of them were either helping pick up the small mess the Aragami had made. They all had smiles on there faces, grateful to be alive.

"Who…" I wondered.

"HHEEEYYYYY!" I heard a familiar voice call from quite a distance away.

"Kota!" I smiled and waved to him as he ran up to us. "Hey, you fended them off."

"Of course." Kota replied in a serious tone. "My family lives here. I have to."

Alisa catches up meets up with us. "Whew… made it." She took a second to catch her breath. "Where are all the Aragami?!"

"Umm… Kota helped destroy them all." Sakuya approaches us, after talking to some of the residents. "Gotta say, he's improving a good bit."

"Thanks, Sakuya!" Kota says.

"So… everyone's safe?" Shun asks, concern apparent in his voice.

"You were… worried about the people here?" I question.

"Well I…" Shun gets flustered and turns away from me. "Its just that… once you start protecting people, you kind of… get attached, y'know?"

"Shun…"

"Hey, Silver. Thanks for bailing me out today. I knew I wouldn't have stood a chance against that Aragami alone. Also… I wanted to say I'm sorry about some of the things I've said about you guys. you too, Kota. And especially you, Alisa. I know you had nothing to do with Lindow's dea-er… disappearance."

"Apology accepted, Shun." Alisa replied.

"Ditto, that. Thanks for rushing over here when you heard things got hairy." Kota told him. "Ya got here late, but it's the thought that counts."

"Heheh, sure." He turns to me, awaiting a response.

"Shun you're…. Really good at heart, aren't you?"

"D-don't put it like that!" We spent some time cleaning up the mess that the Aragami made. As we did, I did some chatting with Shun while he got his shoulder patched up.

"You owe him _how_ much?!"

"Yep. You heard me. Fifteen thousand credits. Karel is _not_ someone you wanna be indebted to."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Oh, and about him, sorry for the way he acts. He can be an ass sometimes, but he's still my bud."

"I'm not to fond of him, sorry. And hey…"

"Whats up?"

"Sorry… for being an ass to you guys. I guess you've kinda got something to fight for after all."

"Well, I've gotta say, you can really dish it out when you want to. Forget God Arcs, ypu should just fight the Aragami with roasts."

"Haha, that'd make things so much easier." We spend quite a bit laughing, I got sidetracked from helping everyone. After we were done for the day, it was almost 6 in the evening, and the sunset was absolutely breathtaking. I said goodnight to Kota and his family as they went in to eat dinner. I went ahead and sent for a truck to pick Shun and I up as I honestly didn't want to walk it. As we waited, I noticed something on Shun's hat. "Hey, Shun."

"Hm?"

"The logo thingy on your hat is the same as my bandana." I pointed out.

"Hey, you're right."

The truck picked us up after about 15 minutes of waiting. Itnwas a quiet 15 minute drive back to the Den. By the time we got back I was so exhausted, I didn't even feel like eating. I went straight up to my room and let myself fall on my bed. However, what I had forgotten is that I left my brothers sword there and didn't remember until mid-fall. So instead of a relieving feeling of landing on a nice soft sleeping surface, I got the painful experience of a giant sword the size of a 'me.' "Owww…"

Next Morning-

I woke up feeling _extremely_ exhausted. Yesterday was quite… eventful, shall we say. But I guess the silver lining of it all is that Alisa is feeling almost in top form, and I got to know Shun a bit. And of course, tonight I'm still meeting Kanon's mom. After waking up a little more, I head down to the see what I have today, mission wise. When I got out there, to my surprise, my whole Unit was waiting for me.

"There he is!" Kota teased. "Get enough sleep, buddy?"

"Hey, gimme a break!"

"Maybe if you didn't stay up playing games all night, you wouldn't be in bed until 9 in the morning." Aisa pointed out

"Its that late?!"

"Haha, look at your eyes!" Sakuya made fun. "You look like you werent ready to get up huh?" she gabe me a cheerful smile.

"C'mon, guys, yesterday was exhausting!"

"Well I did just as much as you, and I'm fine." Alisa replied.

"Crap, you're right. Oh well."

"You gonna be OK?" Sakuya asked with concern. "Heh, you need some coffee?"

"I'll be fine. I don't drink coffee anyway." With that, ii tell everone to wait in the chopper while I restock my items. When I get done, I turn around to see Alisa waiting for me. "A-Alisa, you startled me. Whats up?"

"I just wanted to say… thank you _so_ much. You've done more for me in the past few days than I ever imagined."

"Hey, its really no problem! I was happy to help. And don't forget, we're all her if you need us to help."

"Thanks, but… I think the rest I'll have to figure out for myself."

"Hmhm. Good answer." With that, we head out to the chopper where the others waited, except a certain someone. "Hey! Where's Soma?!" I shouted over the propellers.

"He had his own mission!" Sakuya answered.

On the way to the location, I saw Kota snickering to himself. "What's so funny?" I ask him with a slight laugh of my own.

"Nothin" Kota answered between laughs. "Just be sure Kanon doesn't get the wrong idea."

"Dude…"

"Sorry… just kidding." Kota seemed to notice Alisa's red face. "Umm… anyway, no Buster Sword today?"

"Nah, I left It behind again-wait- you know its actual name?" I exclaimed.

"Yep! I finally started playing the game and its actually pretty good!" Kota and I chatted about the game for a bit; about the story of the group against the Power Company, the music, and its unique characters. "I really like that dog character!"

"You mean Nanaki?"

"I thought his name was 'Red Ex I-I-I?'?"

"First off, the letters are Roman for '13'. And also, his real name is 'Nanaki'.

'Woah, spoilers!"

"OK boys, that's enough. We're here." Sakuya intervened.

We arrived at the Old City to kill our target: A Vajra. This will be a test to see what this team is capable of. We split up to search for it; I joined up with Kota and Alisa with Sakuya. "Remember guys, its just one Vajra, and nothing else. As soon as one of us finds it, we engage it like normal and then the other team can catch it off guard somehow."

"Sounds like a plan!" Kota replied. "Hey Alisa."

"Y-yes Kota?" she answered timidly

"Don't fret, OK?" he could tell how nervous she was. "You've got all of us behind you. Good ol' Kota will make sure to catch you when you fall!"

"Ok. Thanks…. I think I'm ready!"

"OK then. Mission Start!" I cued. We leapt down from the point and split up. While Sakuya and Alisa explored around and in the church, Kota followed me to the plaza and the open space between the buildings. We found nothing as we searched except for some leftover Aragami corpses. We continued searching and I decided to check the around the side of the church while Kota stood guard by the corner.

After searching, yet finding nothing, I turned back and when I got around the corner, I saw Alisa coming out of the side of the church. "Hey!" I shout to her. "Find it yet?"

I noticed Alisa's eyes widen, but thought nothing of it. I started running towards her, but above me, I heard a roar that sounded all to familiar. I look behind me and up to see a Vajra lunging at me. Caught off guard, I panic as my life flashes before my eyes. As he looms closer I hear a voice scream.

"GET AWAY!" I hear Alisa scream as a blast of fire impacts the Aragami and sends it flying. I slash at its torso, causing it to spill blood everywhere. With no effort at all, it falls to the ground. After that close call, I take a moment to catch my breath. _I almost died…_ I look over to Alisa, who was now on her knees sobbing. Sakuya walks up to the girl and holds her in a tight hug.

"Alisa." I say as I walk up to her. "You… just saved my life. Thank you."

"I… don't know what I would have done if you had died! Not after what you'd done for me. You've showed me that I have the strength I need to protect what matters to me. Thank you, all of you!"

"Its no prob, Alisa." Kota chimed in. With that we carefully walk to the dead Vajra's body to extract its core. "But, _bitchtits,_ that was close! How'd it die so easily?"

"Did you just- I start, but get cut off.

"Look here." Sakuya pointed to its face. "Its face's bond is already broken, as well as its tail."

"So someone already fought this Aragami?" I speculated. "Another Aragami?"

"Possibly…" We have no time left to analyze it as it sinks into the ground. With that, we call an exfiltration and head on home for some much needed shuteye.

When I get to my room, I see that the clothing I ordered from Licca was neatly folded and placed in a plastic covering. I check my Mail to see if she said anything about the other thing I asked about.

From: Licca

Subject: Your Clothes.

"Hey, I got your clothes all done! I'm happy with how they turned out! As for the other thing you asked about, it'll be done later tonight

I send a thank you reply and then, _after_ moving my sword, I throw myself on my bed and take a good long nap.

Later that Night

As Kanon was in her room getting ready, I went ahead and did the same in my room. I left my top and bottom buttons undone to give myself some room to breath, and left both collars up, staying true to my normal style. After cleaning up, I head out to the lobby to wait for Kanon. She emerges from the elevator after a few minutes of waiting, and I am taken away by how gorgeous she is. Her hair is tied back and she still wears a green skirt similar to her normal one, yet her legs are exposed and I notice her wearing high heels instead of her normal boots. "Ugh! Seriously?!" She says as soon as she sees me.

"Wh-what?" I stutter as she storms over to me. I flinch as she gets up in my face, but to my surprise, she starts fiddling with my shirt. "Put your collars down! These should be buttoned!" she buttons the rest of my shirts and I find it difficult to breath. "Also, Black and Red, really?"

"But that's like… my thing…" I argue with her.

"Oh and also…" she starts in a sassy voice and points a finger on the bandana on my forehead. "This comes off!"

"What?! No way!" I back up defensively in order to keep Kanon from removing it. "It's _not_ coming off!"

"Well if we're going to be dating, _you_ need to make a good first impression on my mom!"

I take a moment to think about what to do. Then an idea hits me. I grip the bottom of my bandana and slide it down my face until its loose around my neck. "Here, how about this?"

Kanon gives me her smile of approval. "Much better… now about your hair…"

We walked through the Ghetto and saw people going about their daily routine, kids playing and getting dirty, and merchants doing business. As we walked for about twenty more minutes, Kanon stops and points towards one of the ransack houses. "There it is!" Kanon joyfully announced as she jogged up to the house and I follow her. "Now, you stand _here."_ She says as she positions me to the left of the door and gives it a knock. After a moment, a beautiful middle aged woman with long cherry blossom hair tied in a ponytail opened up.

"Kanon! Honey!" the woman squealed. They embrace each other in a tight hug for a moment and I feel a warm smile on my face. "You look gorgeous!"

"Ahem!" Kanon clears her throat. "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to the guy who helped me with my problem and ultimately am going to start going out with! C'mon out."

I nervously emerge from hiding and attempt to make a good first impression. "Hi, I'm Silver!" I greet with a smile. I look at Kanon's mom and she stares at me with a heartbroken look. _Aw bitchtits! Was that to casual? Not casual enough?_

"It's you…" Ms. Daiba mutters.

"I'm sorry?"

"Let's come sit down." She sat us down at a small dinner table and gave us all a glass of water. "Kanon, do you remember Galen?" _My bro?!_

"Huh? Of course I do, why?"

"Wait… you know him?!" I ask in shock.

"Yes. He used to visit us all the tine after he one day saved my daughter and I from an Aragami breach." Kanon's mom explained.

"Then he said he was going away and never came back." Kanon added. "How do _you_ know him?"

"That's right, I never told you. Galen Usugiri was my brother."

Kanon let's out a gasp. "Of course! That's why I thought we had met! And that bandana; he wore it the very last time we saw him…"

"Actually, I made the bandana for him.

"You... made this?" I said, looking atsaid bandana around my neck.

"Yes. But that isn't everything. There's something important you two need to know." Ms. Daiba stated. "Kanon, do you remember the very last time Galen came over?"

"A little. I remember you two having an important private conversation?" Kanon replies.

"Yes; about why he was leaving. His mother had died, with nobody to care for his little brother."

"Right, he had said that a nice small family was going to take me in." I put 2 and 2 together. "Wait, so I was going to live with you two?!"

"Yes… but you two never showed up after all these years."

"So that's why you were so sad all that time…" Kanon concluded.

"Yes, I especially worried that Galen's little brother never got a chance… but now you're here!" Kanon's mom was almost filled with glee.

"Silver…" Kanon uttered to me. "I'm sorry..." she asked with tears in her eyes.

"No… _I'm_ sorry. You both spent years wondering where he went. I'm just the kid who couldn't save him…"

"Don't apologize." Ms. Daiba told me. "I'm happy your alive; that I got to meet the kind boy Galen talked about… though I didn't expect you to be acquainted with my daughter, let alone _going out_ with her!" she laughed.

"Oh, if you don't want me to-" I begin, but am cut off.

"No, please! You two are cute together!"

I feel my face turn beat red as I see Kanon's do the same as we turn away from each other. "M-Mom, don't embarrass us. Can we just… start dinner?"

"Sure"

Suddenly I hear a strange noise and I cant find the source of it. "Meow!" It said again. I follow the sound and see a small furry four legged creature on Kanon's dinner table.

"Gah! What's that thing on your table?! Aragami?!" the creature stared at me with curious eyes as I back up cautiously.

"Kiki!" Kanon squeals as she walks up to it and starts scratching its head.

"Kanon! What's that creature?" I ask again.

"She's… our cat." She answers in confusion, which turned into a sympathetic look. "You've never seen a cat before?"

"Never."

"Well, don't just stand there, come pet her!" I nervously approach the 'cat' and stick my finger at it. I cautiously let the animal approach it and to my surprise, it starts rubbing against my finger with its head. After a little, it feels really nice, and I scratch her head like Kanon did, and it looks really happy. "Well?"

"She's cute." I admit. "Where did you find her?"

"Kanon and I found her lying on the ground on day, leg broken. Kanon insisted we take it home and try to fix her leg." Ms. Daiba explained. "Before I knew it, Kanon had that leg patched up and healed in no time!"

"And then Kiki here became a member of our family!" Kanon finished. "You see… when I saw how happy she was when I saved her, that's what made me want to become a medic. That's when Lindow first saw me, and told me about the God Eaters.

"So its thanks to this little one…" I said as I scratched its chin. "You are where you are now. I guess all of us have someone in life to thank. Lindow found me too, and brought me here." I notice the cat start shaking. "Umm… Kanon… she's vibrating."

Over dinner I chatted with Kanon's mother about myself, something I wasn't too used to doing. I told her a little bit about my teammates; what they're like. How Kota loves Bugarally and how Alisa is the only other New Type in the whole Branch. I also learned that Kanon learned how to bake from her mother. Apparently, however, she's never been all that great at cooking meals…

"Thank you Ms. Daiba, that was delicious!" I complement her. "Especially the corn!"

"Your welcome, Silver. Kanon told me how much you love corn." Kanon's mom responded with a motherly smile.

"Oh yeah, why _is_ that?" Kanon asked me out of the blue. "Where did your love for _corn on the cob_ of all things come from?"

"Well back where I lived in my childhood days, my mother grew corn. We'd hand it out to other people in our settlement, but she'd always save one ear of it for me." I explained. "It was always something special."

"Huh. You _are_ weird."

"Hey!"

On the way home after saying our goodbyes, Kanon leans on my shoulder and held my arm as we walked.

"Kanon, you're making it hard too walk." I complain.

"All couples walk like this, so get used to it." She retorted with a cute smile. It became comfortable after a little bit though. "So I guess my mom approves of us." She concluded. "I can't believe you almost became my adopted brother!" Kanon started laughing.

As i laugh a little with her, a question comes to mind. "Hey… do you think you would have been happy?"

"Hmm… I can't say for sure. But I think I would still prefer things the way they are now."

"I agree."

"Y'know… when I _first_ saw you in the hall; when I opened my eyes, I thught I saw Galen. It gave me a glimpse of hope."

"Really? Do I still look like him?" I let her go and let her get a good look at my face.

"Mmm… not really." She says, slightly teasing. "His hair was longer and he had a cool look in his eyes. With you its more of an innocent, naïve, nice guy look."

"Whaa?"

"But its still a good look on you." We held hands and looked up in the sky at the moon in all its glory. In all my years of travelling, I never saw saw something so perfect above me, or beside me for that matter.

Back at The Den- Kanon and I got back to the Den, I found my Unit members waiting for me. "Guys? What are you all doing here?"

"I don't know. Tsubaki called us out here and told us to 'await your return'." Kota explained.

"I wonder why…" Alisa added. As if on cue, Major Amamiya approaches us.

"There you are, Private Usugiri." Tsubaki says as we give her our attention. "Ms. Daiba, if you could leave us, this meeting is only involving First Unit members."

"Ok… Yes Maam." Kanon shoots me a wave as she enters the elevator

"Good night…" I tell her just before the doors close. I direct my attention back to the Major. "May I ask what this is about?"

"Right. Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Tsubaki started. "The administration and top brass has made an appointment to your squad." She turns to me. "In light of your recent accomplishments, Silver Usugiri, you will be appointed as Captain of the First Unit of the Far East Branch with full honors."

"Wh-what?..." I struggle. Me? Captain? I stand shocked at the Major's announcement.

"As the leader of this Unit, I am proud to say that I'm depending on your talent."

"Seriously?!" Kota exclaims in excitement. "That's… awesome! Its better than awesome, its… awesome!"

"Silver… I was proud to call you my comrade." Alisa adds. "And now, I'm proud to serve under you. Isnt this wonderful?!" Alisa sounded full of joy. But me?

"Not exactly. Please excuse me." I scurry into the elevator and head back to my room. As I sit on my bed and think about what just happened; that I just got chosen to _lead_ , Tatsumi enters my room. I must have passed him or something.

"What are you doing?" He asks me.

"So you saw; they want me to be their Captain."

What's wrong with that?"

"I told you! I can't be a leader!"

"But its not up to you, is it? You don't decide whether you're worthy or not, _they_ do. Look at all you've done. Those guys, they'll follow you wherever now."

"Tatsumi. Do you really think I can do it?"

"Well I hope so. I mean, why would Lindow leave like this if he didn't think you couldn't handle it? Regardless, those people need someone to stand beside."

"It's just… to heavy of a responsibility. What if I screw up?"

"Y'know I kind of reacted the same way when I became a captain. Before, I trained under Lindow, just like you. The responsibility dumped on me was overwhelming. When I took a good look at my new team I was like 'How am I gonna turn this ragtag team of misfits into an unstoppable force?!'"

"Then what happened?"

"Well, I honestly don't remember. But things worked out for the better."

"I was just expecting Sakuya to take over when she got better."

"Actually, she told me she'd prefer you as their leader."

Suddenly, I here a knock on my door. "Come in."

"Hey, hey!" Licca enters my room holding a small white box, which she hands me. "I got it done a few minutes ago. Its all ready."

"Thank you." I say. Licca takes here leave as she waves me goodbye. I open the box and from it I pick up Lindow's compass, only now it is attached to a chain necklace made of Pure Silver.

"What's that?" Tatsumi asks, taking a closer look.

"A keepsake… Tatsumi, thank you."

"Sure, now get out there and address your people." With that Tatsumi takes leaves me.

"Lindow… you've done more for me than I could ever thank you for. My team-no- my _friends_ found the path again. Now I've gotta walk it with them."

I change to my normal outfit after Tatsumi leaves. I strap on my Buster Sword, place Lindow's compass around my neck, fix my headband, and head back down. When I exit the elevator, by group is still waiting for me. I stand in front of my Unit whom I have the undivided attention of. "I only have 3 orders for you all."

"Oh here we go." Soma grumbles.

"If they stand behind, give them protection. If they stand beside you, give them strength. But if they stand against you… show no mercy!"

 _I guess its_ my _turn to pass on some hope…_

End of chapter 15

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Authors Note-Wow, I didnt realize how long this chapter had gotten until the end! XD. I noticed these chapters are getting longer and longer, i think I might have to do something about that. Let me know what you all think


	16. Chapter 16: Monster?

Disclaimer: God Eater and its characters are owned by Bandai Namco. As usual, enjoy the chapter and please be sure to leave a review. Constructive criticism is more than welcome!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 16- Monster?

A few a days ago-

"I have 3 orders for you. If they stand behind you, give them strength. If they stand beside you, give them strength. But if they stand _against_ you… show no mercy." I said as I came out to 'address my people'. "And also, don't use my phrase." I gave Kota a 'look', earning a slightly nervous look that said 'crap! Sorry'. "I look forward to seeing how I do as your assigned leader."

Major Amamiya shot me a smile, likely because of my formal speechifying. "Well then. On this note, I bid you all good night. Dismissed." She walks out of the room and says something inaudible to herself.

I let out a proud snicker and rub my finger on my nose. "So, how'd that sound?"

Sakuya lets out a giggle. "Weren't you just my little student a little bit ago?" Sakuya's look gets more serious , but still retains her smile. "I'm proud of you, Silver."

"Thank you, Sakuya." I say with sincerity. I let out a long yawn and decide that I'm done for the night. "Alright everyone. I'm going to bed. Can't wait for tomorrow!"

Over the next couple days, I felt like my team's morale had skyrocketed. Everyone, excluding Soma, had become more well coordinated. Nobody ever got in each others way and we continued to find ways to make up for each others weak points. For example, if Kota ran out of ammo, we just gave him a Transfer Shot, which filled him up _and_ gave him a Burst, boosting his bullets strength. At points, I even felt we were unstoppable. We had no casualties, and all got along well after a short time… again, except Soma. He still just kept to himself. I tried scolding him once, but he just scoffed and walked away. There was one mission where Kota came up to me and held his fist out.

"Yo, cap!" Kota addressed as he held his fist in front of me.

"Ummm…" I said. "Are you… gonna punch me?"

Kota gave me a confused look. "Umm… no, you… bump it."

"Huh?"

"Here, hold yours out." I did so; held my fist up like he did. He then quickly brought his to mine and made contact with it. I don't know what it was bit it felt… cool?

"Its called a 'fist bump'."

"Huh. Lets do it again." We hit each others fist once more, only I brought mine in as well as Kota's.

Its funny; when I went out on my first day as the 1st Unit's captain, I was more than a little nervous. Despite this, I kept my cool. I remember saying. "Ok. Gotta be a leader…" To myself when the mission started. "Follow me!"

I got the hang of it a little bit. There was, however, paperwork that had me report on what happens with my team and on missions, but its no big deal once it becomes routine. In a way, I think I was made for a captains position. I want to keep everyone safe, and now its my responsibility, and one I'm proud to have. At first, I was scared I didn't have what it takes to take over where Lindow left off, but I'm sure thinks will work out.

Today-

Director Schicksal called me into his office, so of course, I'm nervous. Still, I cant believe this is only my second time ever talking to him. I stepped into his office to see quite a few paintings and some very interesting antiques. Surprisingly enough, the Director isn't in. I shrug it off and wander around. A painting with a crashed ship catches my eye. As I approach it and try to get a good look at it, a voice from behind startles me.

"Oh you're here…" I slightly jumped at Director Schicksal, and turn to face him. He seemed to approach from one of the doors behind his desk. "Forgive me, I was… speaking with somebody. It isn't like me to be late." He chuckled to himself.

"Its fine sir. It happens." I say, speaking from experience. The Director sat in his chair and placed his elbows on the desk with his hands locked in each other. I stand in front of his desk in a formal manner, ready for what he has to say.

"So, your last few missions with your Unit have gone off without a hitch, huh?" The Director sounded quite impressed. "Good. I expected no less."

"Thank you."

"Now, allow me to commend you on your performance so far. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Well, to be honest, Sir, I wasn't too keen on becoming a leader at first, but… I think I'm ready to accept this position."

"I trust it hasn't been easy, but you've done us all a great services. I look forward too seeing this continue."

"R-right. I'll do what I can."

"Good. Now.. as a Captain, you have new duties as well as authorities. You will be granted a number of bonuses; 'prizes' shall we say for your new position. The first is private quarters. Lindow's to be exact."

I feel myself tense up. _Did he just say…_ I turn my head away, hurt by the abrupt mention of my passed mentor. He went on to explain that my status would be updated, and that I could access new files that were restricted before, as well as stress the importance of it.

"This is our.." the Director stopped himself. "Or rather _Fenrir's_ mark of trust. Don't take it lightly. I know you have better judgement than that."

"O-of course…" I heard and acknowledged all he said, but my mind was still hooked on the idea of me just taking Lindow's room.

"Moving on, aside from serving combat leader, you will overtake all of Lindow's unique and special assignments." The Director took a few moments to ponder. He looked back at me and smiled. "Butbwe'll leave those for another day. Surely you're exhausted from your operation."

"Yeah…"

"Hm? Something on your mind. Feel free to speak."

"Oh, I just was surprised to hear I was taking Lindow's room."

"Ah. Condolences. Lindow was… a truly amazing individual who could never be replaced. How is your team taking it?"

"It'll take time…" I began sincerely. "But I believe they're doing OK."

"Good. Some wounds… take much time to much time to heal, but eventually, even the scar will disappear."

"Speaking from… personal experience?" the moment I said that, I realized I was prying into the Director's life, which I wasn't sure was a good idea.

"You could say that. Anyway, _Captain_ Silver, I am proud to call you a just that- a captain. A _leader._ Dismissed."

With that, I formally nodded and left the room. While in the hall, I think of how to try and fill the rest of the day. Maybe I'll find Kanon….

Directors Office-

"You love doting on him, don't you?"

"There's something about him. Something Lindow saw…"

"That kid is weak. There's nothing special about him."

"Well without Lindow, someone needs to carry that group."

"Hey, I got rid of the problem. What happens to them is merely collateral damage."

"Whatever the case, have you found it yet?"

"No. I'm still looking.

"Hmm… well, no matter. We have time. Plenty."

Silver POV-

As I hadn't seen her in a few days, I thought I'd go look for Kanon. On the way to the elevator, Major Amamiya emerges from it. As I turn around to face her, I give her a polite greeting, one she returns to me.

"So, how you holding up?" Amamiya asked in a surprising and unusually casual tone.

"It's… all a lot to take in." I reply.

"Heh. Don't have to tell _me._ Your eyes give it away."

"They… do?" I feel her warm hand placed on the side of my face, which makes me feel… a little weird to say the least.

"Yeah. You have the same look Lindow had when the promoted him. I still remember his face!" She lets out a laugh and takes her hand off me.

"Any advice?"

"Well, first thing you do is take a big, deep breath." I do as she says. "Then relax. No one expect you to do this alone."

"Hm… I _do_ feel better."

"Silver… remember, the key to succeeding is relying on your allies. Rely on yourself. Trust."

That last word seems to get to me. "Trust…." I reminded myself of things that got better when I put trust in others. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I know you'll make a fine Captain…" her mind seemed to wander for a moment.

"Something the matter?"

"I guess you and I are in the same boat."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We're both lost our brothers." _She' right._ "But they left us something important. One of the things is around your neck."

"Heh, I guess so!"

"And yours gave you his... shall we say-charm. By the way, do that to me and I'll have your gaming privileges revoked." I know she was joking but still…

"Don't worry, _he_ told me not to."

"Hm. Good. Now, enough small talk. Your excused." As we pass each other and I enter the elevator, Major Amamiya turns back to me. "Hehe. I'm counting on you." I give her a nod as the doors close.

I went to go look for Kanon at the one place I knew to look first: the training room. I walk in to see her hard at work firing at targets all around. She was so caught up in her training, she didn't notice me yet. As I approach her I decide to speak up over the gunfire.

"Hard at work I see!" I say loudly. Before I could react, Kanon immediately turns around and I am hit with a large ball of Ice right it the torso. I'm knocked on the ground onto my back. "Oowww…."

"Eep! Sorry!" Kanon squealed as she dropped her God Arc and ran up to me. She helped me up and we took a seat nearby.

"You seemed to be on edge. What's up?"

"Well, seeing Alisa work so hard got me all pumped up to do the same. Anyway, what are you up to."

"Well, I just got done speaking to the Director about my promotion." Suddenly, Kanon throws here arms around me.

"Ohmygosh, I totally forgot, congratulations!" Kanon says this so fast I'm almost unable to make out what she said at all.

"Thanks." She calms herself and lets me go. "I wasn't ready at first. I panicked and said to myself 'I can't be Lindow!'".

"Well that's because you're _not_ Lindow. You're Silver."

"My thoughts exactly. So, I told myself to play the hand I've been dealt and be the best damn Silver I can!"

"That's what I like about you. Always ready to give things a try and see if it works out."

"Kanon… thank you."

"Huh? What for?" she looks at me with innocent, curious eyes.

"Well, for starters, seeing you for the first time; it helped me find out why I'm here. And, you helped me get off my ass and do something about my problems."

Kanon's face is slightly red as she looks down nervously. "I was just… well don't forget how you helped _me._ " she let out a sigh. "Your welcome… but I don't think I've done that much. But really. Congratulations on becoming our leader."

"Thanks. It's a big step to take, but I can do this."

"Hmhm… I kind of thought things would turn out this way."

"How do you figure?"

"Well… talented people like you have an extra 'something.'"

"Hmmm… an extra something…" I pondered for a while as I sat with Kanon. She scooted close to me and watched as I played some games on my handheld. After a while, she offered to invite me back to her room for some cookies and tea, but I got called on a mission. I did, however walk back with her to grab my sword. For me, it had become not only a memento of someone close or a symbol of my liking for a game, but also a symbol of my leadership.

As we approached Kanon's room, I had remembered something. "Oh yeah…" I said with a depressed tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Soon we're not gonna have rooms so close."

"Why's that?" Kanon had a sad look in her eyes.

"They're moving me up to Lindow's room in the Veterans section."

"Oh…" I gave her a goodbye and started to my almost-former room until Kanon spoke up. "Umm… Silver?"

"Yeah?" I look back to see Kanon run up to me and to my surprise, she presses her lips against my cheek, giving them a short, but sweet kiss. I feel it get slightly hot as we looked at each other.

"Give 'em hell, and don't you _dare_ die, OK?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Great. See ya!" I felt my cheek with a few fingers where she had kissed. I give her a smile as she enters her living space. _This girl…_

Our mission took place at the place they called the 'Tranquil Temple'. After a few time here, I can easily say I _hate_ it here. The frigid cold is almost unbearable and the snow is always blowing into my eyes. Anyway, while Alisa scouted ahead, Kota and I stayed behind to wait for our fourth player- Soma. After almost 15 minutes of waiting, Kota started talking.

"Man, is it just me or are the rations getting leaner and lamer everyday?" Kota complained.

"Well, we should be glad to be fed at all." I replied.

Kota lets out a sigh. "Guess your right." We look to the back pf the small outpost we stood on to see Soma climb up. He walked toward us in his usual huffy-puffy attitude. "Eyy, what up, Soma?" Kota casually greets. "Dude, I was totally thinking of having a little shindig to celebrate our new leader! You down?"

"Huh? For me?" I butt in.

"Gonna say no." Soma quickly, emotionlessly says with no hesitation at all.

"Why not?"

"Yeah, c'mon, Soms, don't be a pre-party pooper!"

Soma shoots a look at Kota. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turns back forward as he walks by us. "Have your damn 'shindig'. Just don't count on my RSVP." With that he jumps off the lookout to join up with Alisa.

"Ass! Don't act all badass and stuff just your all badass and stuff!" Kota shouts at Soma. "And don't be so pissed at _us_ when you show up like _twenty_ minutes late, but whatever! Jerk…"

"Kota, what the hell?" I asked him sternly. "That was so uncalled for.

"No, _he's_ the one acting like an absolute ass all the time, turned away from us, not giving a crap!"

"Well, y'know, Kota, _some_ of us haven't had it as easy as you!"

Kota realizes I'm right and gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry… I forgot you came from the outside. And… I don't even _know_ anything about Soma. Sorry, captain."

"Hey, chin up! And call me Silver, OK?" Kota perks up and gives me a nod. "Great. Anyway… so about that shindig..."

"Oh yeah, my moms totally cool with it! Sakuya and Alisa already said 'yes'. Tryin' to do it tonight."

"I'll be there. I mean, I'm kind of the guest of honor. And… I'll see if I can convince Soma to go. Is that OK."

"He doesn't have to come if he doesn't feel like it. Its OK, really. Huh? Oops! Its 20 past mission. Lets go!"

We met up with Alisa and Soma who had found the target while we picked off some of the small targets that may have gotten in the way. The Aragami we were after today were a Gboro-Gboro, and a Chi-You who hadn't yet shown itself. We handled the Gboro with ease as we cut and shot through it. After that, the Chi-You _then_ decided to show up. We found inside the small temple building up the stairs in what was labeled as 'Area P'. I didn't know before that my map schematics had labels on each area, but Alisa showed me. I engaged it alone from the outside of the building alone by firing a shot. As It did its usual taunt, I kept shooting until it decided to glide towards my. As I signaled Alisa and Soma who were waiting on both sides of the entrance, I took the attack head on with my shield. On my signal, they ambushed it from both sides, slashing through it. Although we staggered it, thee monster wasn't quite finished. Alisa and I shot at it and as it got up, we both Devoured it and each fired two transfer shots towards the roof, where Kota stood. As I saw him feel the adrenaline rush, he slams a trap on the monster as he jumps down. With that, The three of us open fire, breaking multiple bonds on the Aragami. As Kota staggers it once more, he signals Soma to deal the killing blow. He does just that with a clean strike across the torso, causing the monster to drop dead.

I collected the core and called for a chopper, and took a look at my team. "You guys… are all amazing."

"You did well too, captain." Alisa returned with a compliment.

"Please; Silver." I reminded. "Good goin' guys. Yes, you too Soma." I looked around, but to my surprise, didn't see Soma anywhere. "Hey, Uhh, Soma? Where are you?" I called out to see if he would respond. "Maybe he headed back to the exfil point." We went back to the lookout, but the chopper pilot said he hadn't come back. I asked Alisa to stay behind in case he came back while Kota and I searched the area. We must have looked for 15 minutes in the brutal cold until we decided to check the temple building again. As we approached, we heard his voice from inside, saying 'I know you're here'.

"There you are." I said from behind him. He lets out a gasp and turns quickly around and points his God Arc at us.

"Hey, hey! Whoa, hey! Geez…" Kota exclaims as he hides behind his God Arc.

"Hmph. Well, I didn't expect to turn around and see _you."_

"Um… you're totally welcome? I mean its not like we came out here to look for you. You never came back! We got worried!"

"Well you found me, so why don't you turn right around and go home? I've got thing to handle on my own."

"Soma, we destroyed all the targets." I pointed out, only to be ignored.

"We're comrades, man!" Kota reminded Soma. "We're in the same Unit. Seriously, you can be so stuck up!"

"Kota!" I addressed him sternly. "Let me handle this."

"Heh. So we're 'comrades' now? How so?" Soma mockingly asks. "Who would want a comrade who can't even take a little joke. A comrade you can't trust to have your back? Its better to not have them at all."

"What are you talking about? I _do_ trust you to have my back. I trust you with my life. "

Soma starts laughing hysterically. After a moment he stops and looks at me. "Hey, maybe I _can_ take a joke. _"_

"The hell man?!" Kota shouts. "Fine then! Soma's so awesome, he's _so_ edgy! Soma don't _need_ no teammates!" Kota gave Soma an angry look that I don't see to often from him. "If you think your so hot and don't need us, then suit yourself, jerk! I'm goin' home!" Kota walks off and looks back to me as if saying 'you comin?'

"I'll catch up." I look back at Soma and think of what to say. "Soma… please tell me. Why don't you even _try_ to have anything to do with us? I mean, its like he said, we're on the same team, so can you act like it?"

"Look, we're in the same team on paper. That doesn't make us friends."

"Well if you feel like you've been dealt such a crappy hand, then suck it up and play it best you can. That's what I'm doing. So no matter how much you feel you can take care of something alone, I want you to ask one of us for a hand."

"Heh. Is that an order?"

"No. It's a request from someone who wants you to trust them."

"Don't get me wrong. Its not that I don't need you. Its that you don't need anything from a monster like me? Now don't you have a party to go to?"

I give a sigh of defeat. I shrug my shoulders and turn my back to him. "See ya." I walk a few steps and stop once more. "Y'know…If you can, I would like you to come by. I mean, it is _my_ party." I turn around and throw him a grin. As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel like we were being watched. I shrugged it off and headed back to the chopper.

That night, Kota lead Sakuya, Alisa and I to his house in the Outer Ghetto. We all decided too dress formally for the occasion, I in the clothing I had worn the night of my meeting with Kanon's mother. When we arrived, there was a whole spread of food laid out across Kota's dinner table. His mom as well as his little sister Nozomi had greeted us as Kota invited us in. There was a decent variety of foods and plenty of drinks, not alcoholic of course.

"Oh, Nozomi." Kota spoke up while we ate and chatter. "Can you go grab _that?_ "

"Sure!" the little girl said with a bright smile. She went into the kitchen and came out a moment later holding a large box.

"Someone came and brought that by a little earlier." Kota's mom spoke up. She handed me a slip of paper. "She wanted me to give this to you." I unfolded it and the note read-

" _Sorry I couldn't make it tonight, I had things to do."_

I know immediately who it was as soon as a square cake that read 'Congrats on the Promotion!' on top. I smiled to myself and felt a tear fall down my face. "Guys… how long have you been planning this?"

"Kota pitched the idea over a week ago." Sakuya answered. "He was so enthusiastic about it!"

"He's enthusiastic about everything" Alisa teases. "Oh, speaking of which, great job today, Kota!"

"Th- Thanks, Alisa…" Kota rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"So things went well today?" Kota's mother asked worryingly.

I thought on how smooth the mission itself went, but the aftermath… "Sure did! You'd be surprised at what this guy can do with a Level 3 Burst!" I pointed at Kota. I then turned to his mother. "Don't worry. I'll keep making this guys stays out trouble. Its kinda my job now."

"Thank you, and if he's up to no good, you have my permission to ground him!" Ms. Fujiki added brightly.

"Mom!" Kota smiled and gave her a hug. We talked and laughed about the most unimportant things ever. That night was perfect, seeing everyone happy, laughing. I will admit though, I would have liked Soma to come by. I think it would help him open up.

Soma POV-

Well, they wanted me to come by. I never said I would go _in_ the house. So instead, I found a wall with no windows and simply stood by it. I could hear the meaningless chatter from inside and everybody laughing about probably stupid things. There's no way I'd be welcome in a gathering like that even if I wanted to be there. This _kid._ Everyone things he can replace Lindow. It pisses me off. If it weren't for him, all of them would still be here. But… there's something about him that Lindow saw that makes me… I don't know. What does it matter, a monster like me doesn't need 'companionship' or 'comrades.'

I headed back to the Den and on my way back to my living space, I ran into that girl that the kid's always with. I was stuck in the elevator with her until I reached my floor so I had to endure it. Just as long as she didn't-

"So, how are things?" talk to me… I tried too ignore her, but she said something else. "Did you go to Silver's party?"

"Of course not, I've got more better things to worry about." I quietly said. "Why weren't _you_ there?"

"Because I actually _do_ have important things to worry about and aren't just being an anti-social douche! Besides, I felt like it should be First Unit members only."

"Why you-" I feel myself get pissed, but I try to refrain from doing anything unnecessary. "Kota's got a little sister right? Would he _really_ want someone like me around her?"

"Well…" she struggles to come up with a witty comeback, but its no good.

"I rest my case." The elevator opens up to my section and I walk out as hastily as I can without looking back at her.

"Good night…" I hear her say. Dammit… her and that kid- why are they trying so hard?

Silver POV

As soon as I got up the next morning, the Director called me into the office again.

"Director Schicksal, you wanted to see me?" I asked politely as I entered his office.

"Yes, Silver." He confirmed as I stand in front of his desk. "You have achieved incredible things during you tenure here. To think you would acquire such leadership skills so fast… Maybe it's a knack unique to the New Types…"

"Its thanks to the people I've met, sir. It has nothing to do with me being a New-Type."

"Right… anyway, as you may already know, the Aegis project is nearing completion."

"Wait, really? That's awes- um… that's good news."

"Yes. It is entering the final stages. Aegis… it is a bold shield. An Ark to protect humankind from the Aragami threat… eternally."

"And everyone can live in peace…"

"Hmhm.. the impending success is certain cause for celebration, but we can't let down our guard." The Director lowered his head. "We are so very close. I hope I can continue to rely on you, Captain Usugiri."

"You can count on me, Director!" I watched as he fiddled with his computer with a hurried expression. "Umm, sir? Is something wrong?"

"N-no, its just that I'm expecting a visitor. Shall we continue with this another day?"

"Yeah. I've probably got missions anyways."

"Good. I'll continue to expect only the best from you, Captain Silver. You will surely help lead is into aa bright, wondrous future. Dismissed." The Director concluded. I gave him a nod and took my leave. The Director; he has his own kind of optimistic personality, but I kind of wish he wouldn't flatter me so much.

As I walked down the hall, Dr. Sakaki approached me. I stopped to speak to him. "Professor, its been a while."

"Ah, hello Silver! Indeed it has!" Sakaki agreed. "Congratulations on your promotion. Its not everyday one receives a position such as yours."

"Thank you. Well I'm off!" As I continue walking, the Doctor spoke up again.

"Silver… do you consider yourself a curious person?" What a weird question." I stopped to think about it for a moment.

"Well… there are some things in the word id like to know about." I suddenly here something fall on the floor. I look down to see a small circular object, likely a data disc. I pick it up, as the doctor likely dropped it. "Dr. Saka-

He was nowhere to be seen. He's most likely meeting with the Director; I'll give it back later.

Sakaki POV

After I 'coincidentally' passed by young Silver, I entered Johannes' office to find him examining a painting.

"What a surprise…" Johan said as he turned to face me. "A visit from the estimable Paylor Sakaki."

"Hello Johannes. Did I interrupt your search for another lab dog? Or is he a hunting hound?" I questioned with a hint of anger.

"I have no idea of what you speak." Johannes denied. "And you should beholden to other interests. I've yet to receive a status report. How goes out _other_ project?"

"You mean the 'Singularity?' Not well I'm afraid. After all I have so little to go on."

"Well, may I remind you how critical it is to my plan. Don't give up the good fight yet, Doctor. There is much to be done."

"What of your _other_ hunters? You do have others on its trail, I assume?"

"With only Soma and that other person out on the field, success has become… elusive."

"Ahh… hence your search for another minion our newly-promoted Captain. Hmhm… quite a fellow, that Silver." Johan seems slightly struck at my comment.

"You always did know how to strike my sore spots, Paylor. I suggest you keep watch, and hold your focus there."

I cocked my spectacles on my face and turned around. "I keep watch over so much. The entire Universe holds my attention. Which is why I will never let something… unique out of my sight once I've got my eye on it"

"Hmhm… your warning has been heard 'Stargazer'. Now, kindly turn your 'keen observation' back too our business."

Slightly offended, I make my exit and return to my Lab. Silver… that young man is to good of a person to be another peon to Johannes. As I trek back my laboratory, I ponder:

"Hmmm… to where will you turn, young Silver, when asked to whom you are loyal?"

End of Chapter 16

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Authors Note- I've... honestly got nothing. Sorry guys XD


	17. Chapter 17: What They Gave for Us

Disclaimer: I don't have any ownership of God Eater or its charaacters; now, please enjoy thisbchapter and leave review, as i appreciate the feedback!

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GE: Silver Chapter 17- What They Gave Up for Us

I went out to the lobby after being spoken to by the Director. It was quite crowded, so the chatter was slightly overwhelming. I received many comments of congratulation, and I thanked everybody who gave them to me. I spoke to Hibari to register for my mission, but surprisingly, they weren't ready yet. With this, I decided to keep away from the crowd and be in my room. Oh yeah, my room! Last night, I had been moved into Lindow's room, much to my dismay, but I'll get used to it. Luckily, I didn't have a whole lot to carry over, so I was settled in pretty quickly. Freaking Lindow; he's got a Darts board, a mini fridge and everything! I also looked over to see a radio player, but then I remembered what Lindow told me:

" _Wouldn't you know, it broke."_

I sat on my bed then felt something in my pocket. Upon feeling it with my hand, I remembered that I had picked up the data disk Sakaki dropped. Part of me wanted to see what was on it, but the other half said that the damn thing wasn't mine to look at it. Besides, it was probably just some screen shots for another lecture. Still…

I spent almost half an hour having a war with curiosity. I was having a hell of a time resisting, at one point, I put the thing in the refrigerator, but I forgot I left it in there until I went to grab a soda five minutes later. In desperation, I set the thing on the table and stared it down.

"I will _not_ view whatever is on you!" I told the disk. "Quit telling me to!" I could almost here the temptation speaking to me, pretending to be the disk itself, begging to be opened. This foe was truly my greatest adversary yet- and I'm not even kidding. After a long, tiring battle with myself, curiosity won over and I gave in, ready to accept whatever punishment came from looking at whatever contents this small, yet powerful device.

I inserted it into a small socket on my terminal and a video file popped on the screen. It showed what looked like an autopsy room with two doctors, a man and a dark skinned woman with straight black hair, doing autopsy on an Ogretail on a table. Suddenly, black… something starts spewing from the monster onto the male doctor. "Get some anesthesia, now!" the woman commands as the male falls on the ground. The camera falls over and static appears on the screen.

Before it fades away, a familiar voice shouts "Go get help! Quickly!"

As the picture reappears, three people are seen sitting around a hexagonal table. One was the same woman from before, and the other two took me a moment to realize that they were Dr. Sakaki and Director Schicksal, only they looked _much_ younger, almost 15 years. Hell, Sakaki's hair was black!

"We knew this would happen" the dark skinned woman began. "Embedding a Bias Factor in a mature host is nigh impossible."

"Even if it took, there's no guarantee it would induce the proper apoptosis." Paylor continued. "The only solid results we've seen are with pre-natal injection, and even then, its only had limited success with the rats." He took a sip out of a teacup that sat in front of him.

"We've tested enough rats. I think its well past time we move on to human trails." The Director suggested.

"Let me be clear: we barely understand the Bias Field as it is! Will you just charge in blind? I mean the P73 Bias Factor has incredible potential, yes. But I don't think we're ready yet."

"We cannot afford to wait any longer, Paylor! Thousands of people are dying everyday because of these monsters!" _Hmm…_ I ponder _. This must be people started becoming God Eaters._

"Where will you get a volunteer? Or will you just inject yourself, like Pettenkofer?" _Who?_

"Its certainly within reason. If its stable, I'll inject myself!"

"You wouldn't adapt. But Johannes… what about our son?!" The woman suggested.

"Aisha…." So that's her name…

"He could take to it!"

"Are you insane?! Absolutely not! The project is crucial, but… that's our _child!"_

"Is it better to ask someone else to give up _their_ child? Better than asking more to die?!"

"Aisha, please…."

"I don't approve." Sakaki firmly said as he hastily stood up. "Even if we were sure it would work, I would never agree to this!"

"And _I_ will not sit idly by and allow another generation to grow up afraid of monsters!"

There was an awkward silence between the three until Johannes let out a sigh. "Alright, darling. Alright."

"You two truly agree to this?" Sakaki asked. "I suppose there's no room for discussion. You're far to stubborn. But I… I cannot continue to take part in this project. I cannot reconcile this."

"Paylor…" Aisha said in disbelief.

"Leave it be. I am but a Stargazer. And that I will always be, and I will continue to watch the skies." Paylor began to walk away, but stopped to speak again. "We will meet again, I'm sure. Until then, however, I must continue on my own, with _my_ methods. Farewell… my friends…" with that, Sakaki exits the room and the screen once again fades to black.

The next scene showed an infirmary, with the camera pointed at Aisha, who was in a bed in hospital pajamas. "How are you?" I heard the Director say. It was safe to assume he was holding the camera.

"Fine, but… a little nervous." Aisha replied. She looks toward her stomach and strokes it. "I cant wait for you to arrive…" She looks back to the Director. "Have you heard from him?"

"No… but he sent you this." The Director hands Aisha a small tag with a string. "It's a charm meant to keep you safe during the delivery. He is still beyond our reach."

"I'd like _you_ to hold onto it."

"But he sent it to _you._ "

"Johan… please. Can you pray for both of us?"

"Alright, darling…"

"Paylor… so he's still upset, even now. I hope one day he knows that we did this for him…"

"Don't worry yourself, Aisha. Its not good for either of you."

The screen fades away yet again too a close up of Director Schicksal closer to his current age and attire sitting at his desk.

"Hello, Paylor. Its been along time." He spoke to the camera. "The Managarm Project has been suspended. I suppose it was the only thing we could do after…. What happened." The Director gets a sad look in his eyes. _What happened?..._ "But we survived. Soma was born in the moments before it happened, already carrying the Bias Factor." _Did he just say_ Soma _?!_ "I was carrying the charm you sent us. Such a small thing to save a life, Paylor.

Who knew what your little piece of technology could help create? Did you never think it could ever be the core of the Wall? That it would save countless lives? You're so much more of a scientist than I could ever be. A mere flicker before your blaze. I think perhaps you predicted this, that you knew hat would happen.

Heh… worry not Paylor. I'm not here too blame you. No, never to blame you. In a few weeks, I'll be promoted to Director of Fenrir's Far East Branch. And it is an opportunity. An opportunity for all of us. I would like you to join me.

You will have ample funding for research, more than you could ever dream! Moreover, you would lead all God Eater technology projects. And besides… you haven't met my son. I miss you my old friend. I'll call you again in a few weeks time, and I hope to see you again soon."

As the Director pressed a button on a computer, the screen faded one last time. A message popped up that read 'If found, please return this disc to the research lab of Paylor Sakaki. Do NOT view the disc's contents. I meant it!'. Below was a little drawn Sakaki on one side, and an Ogretail on the other

Oh sure, leave a message like this _before_ the video. So, not knowing if I'd get in trouble or not, I simply left the disc under my bed sheet for now and would give it back when I could, but with that, I went to see if the missions were ready.

I was registered for a group mission once again at the Temple, this time with Sakuya instead of Soma, which was probably for the best for now. A Fallen Kongou we're the targets. Fallen Aragami were a little different. They had adapted to certain environments, giving them elemental resistances. The Kongou this time was resistant to Freeze, so it made using certain Aragami Bullets harder. So instead of attacking with them, I just gave them to Kota and Sakuya.

The Kongou acted like a normal one, so it honestly, as far as using my Blade went, was fairly the same. Still, it refused to go down without a fight, and unlike a normal Kongou, its face didn't break so easy. While attacking it, a few Zygotes, also Fallen, joined the fight. I simply had my gunners knock them down and keep them away from me while I battled the larger Aragami. No sooner than the Zygotes died did I finally strike the Kongou down and rip out its core. I looked around to see multiple dead Zygotes on the ground and my team standing over them. As we made our we back, I feel my self shiver because of the cold, and saw Kota do the same.

"Brr, I still can't get used to this weather. I am _not_ built for it." Kota says.

"I have no problem with it. Its even colder back ho- I mean… back in Russia…"

"Feeling a little homesick?" Kota asks with concern.

"I-its fine. I'm simply saying why I'm not complaining."

Kota lets out a growl. "Hey, I'll remember that when you complain out hot summer is down here."

Alisa and Kota continued to bicker back and forth, which I was okay with. A little harmless bickering is good every now and then. "Are you gonna step in?" Sakuya whispers over to me.

"Nah, this is fun to listen to." Sakuya and I snickered while Kota and Alisa kept at it.

Soma POV

After I just got back from the Carrier, looking for whatever it is my father keeps sending me out for, Some… Singularity, I had to go _back_ out to join those kids on a damn mission. I shouldn't have too babysit them, they can handle themselves. Oh well… orders are orders…

Anyway, before we headed out, I went to spend a little alone time by the vending machines in the Laboratory hall. As I stood for a while, a certain voice spoke up from behind me.

"Soma." It was Usugiri.

"What do you want?!" I said in a pissed tone. "In case you couldn't tell I'm in an _extremely_ fowl mood." Hopefully he didn't see the bags under my eyes.

"You're always in a fowl mood." He firmly replies. He approaches me and examines my face. "Are you OK? Sleeping enough?"

"Why are you so worried?"

"Would 'its my job' be a good answer."

Damn, he's got a point. "Fair enough. I'm a _little_ worn out right now, and now I've gotta babysit the rest of _you._ So of course I'm a little pissed." The kid kept staring with a blank look in his eyes. It was getting on my nerves. I don't think I'll understand why this kid won't leave me alone. "What do you want?!"

"N-nothing. I just… Uhh…" He seemed nervous about something, like me had something to hide… "Hey, we'll be waiting, OK?" He left me alone and I sat down for a bit to try and calm myself.

I went out into the lobby where they waited around for me. Silver keeps insisting I actually come along with them instead of showing up late. Great day to do that, because when we arrived at the lookout at the temple, the monster wasn't even in there area! Given that we had a while _twenty minutes_ till it got there, I went ahead and sat against the wall to get a bit of rest, which again, Silver insisted. As I drifted to sleep in the cold, within a dream, I found myself floating in what seemed to be water. As I floated, I heard many voices… saying things.

" _How are you?"_ Father…

" _A little nervous, but mostly fine."_ Mother! " _I can't wait for you to arrive…"_ The voices of them continued to talk until my mother spoke to me. " _You will bring joy to this world. M-my darling boy…my… precious little boy…"_ Her voice sounded weak, like she was dying.

 _Mother, no!_ I shouted in my head in vain.

" _You will… save them all…"_

" _A purpose, Soma. You have a purpose! You will purge this world of those beasts!"_

Other voices started speaking. Ones I don't know, but can't get out of my mind.

" _His basal cell metabolism is extraordinary! Like nothing I've ever seen!"_

" _That's impossible… I put 8 stitches in his wound yesterday. It can't be healed already. He.. he can't be human!"_

 _Stop…_

" _Careful! You know he can here you halfway across the base. The Director can't catch wind of this…"_

" _Soma the Harbinger of Death. The Executioner. I don't think anyone from his squad's ever survived."_

 _No…_

" _That silver haired kid with the headband. Unlucky him."_

" _Yet another martyr of the Soma Squad"_

 _Stop…_

" _Hey, the doctor said your mommy died. He said if you hadn't been born, she could have made it." No… No!_

"NOOOO!" I found myself awake, nearly gasping for air. Damn… still having nightmares. I looked up too see the others looking down at me.

"Gah!" Alisa exclaimed, panting heavily. "You nearly gave us a heart attack, Soma!"

"You were shaking and mumbling. You OK?" Kota asked me with concern. Here he goes again, worring about _me_.

"Fine. I'm fine…" I tell him. None of them need to know what's going on.

"Huh, that's weird. Where's your trademark 'Soma' disdain?"

Freaking- "What? Just shut the hell up, Fujiki!"

"Kota…" The 'Captain' says through his teeth.

"Well, he's fine. Lets move out!"

Everyone else jumps off the lookout. I don't get it, why the hell does he still give a damn? I stopped thinking about it and just got on with damn mission. That is until Silver spoke up to from behind. I could have swore he left but…

"Hey, please tell me. Are you gonna be alright?" He asked me with that stupid kind tone of his. Its just like _his_ from back then "If you need to, take it easy today."

"I said I was fine. Now lets just go."

After that, we jumped down and fell in with the rest of the group. The monster on the kill lost today was aa Borg Camlann. It wasn't even that hard of a fight, just slashed it till it died. Honestly, all I,wanted to do was just go home and think about my problems without anyone pitying me.

Silver POV-

When we got back home, I went ahead and checked my mail to find that Dr. Sakaki left me a message.

Subject: Have you seen it?

Message: I seem to have dropped a certain disc. If you find it, will you please bring to me? Oh, needless to say, please don't look inside.

Again, I wish I had known that _before_ I watched.. all that. Anyway, The next morning, I went ahead and brought the disc back to the professor.

"Excuse me, Professor?" I said as I entered his Laboratory.

"Ah, Silver. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dr. Sakaki pleasantly greeted me. I approached him as he stood up from his computer setup.

"You dropped this yesterday. You were looking for it, right?" I pull the disc from my pocket and show it to the doctor. Sakaki's eyes widened at the sight of it, while somehow remaining closed.

"Ah! There it is! You found it!" I handed Sakaki the disc, which he hastily puts away somewhere. "I can be absent minded indeed! Thank you for picking it up."

"No problem. I have my… moments too." I chuckle at myself.

"Ha, we all do. Needless to ask, you didn't… watch it did you?" _Ah crap…_ the doctor stares at me for a moment, awaiting a response as I stood there, trying not to crack under the pressure. _What if I did? Will they kick me out? Of the Branch? The Wall?!_ "Hah! Only kidding! Of course you didn't. Merely old memories it was, a youth long past."

"R-right." I felt heavily relieved. Still… I don't think the repercussions would be very severe for 'mere old memories'…

"That does remind me though. I needed to call you in, anyway."

"Sure, what can I do?"

"You see, I'd like you to obtain the core of a certain Aragami. The Director left it to me to assign this task while he's gone."

"Huh? Gone where?"

"Europe. Supposedly, there's a sign of a rare Aragami signature in that part of the world."

"I see…"

"No one need know about this, yes?" Sakaki zoomed into my face. "Not the Director… No one…" he zoomed in closer, almost a foot away from my face.

"Y-y-yes sir…" I responded.

"Good. To be fair, I have assigned this task to Soma as well. Good kid, Soma. I would be ever grateful if you could find a way to solve this together."

"Soma hasn't been much of a 'team player', but I'll try."

"Thank you. Now then… can you tell me: have you ever heard of the Managarm Project?" _The Managarm Project… that was in the video…_

"Uh… I um… yes. I've heard of it." I admitted. Sakaki turned away and a sorrowful expression appeared on him.

"There was nothing admirable about research. No… nothing at all. It lost me a dear, _dear_ friend."

"Aisha…" I said quietly.

"What?" Sakaki sounded shocked. "How do know?!"

"I…" I decided there was no hiding it. Here goes… "I watched the video, Ok?! I tried to fight it but curiosity won over! I am SO SORRY!" I bowed with my hands together while I apologized.

"I see… so you know. It is fine."

"So she died after… whatever happened?"

"Yes… and poor Soma was left behind to shoulder the burden of all that darkness on his own."

"But… if the Director was his father, then-

"Johannes barely wanted anything to do with Soma in terms of being a father. He resented him for what happened."

"Tch. Even his own father…?"

"And I… well, I am ashamed to admit that I am responsible it part for his rage. In fact…" the doctor turns to me and gets close to my face again. "I was hoping, in fact I would be in your debt if you could reach out to him. To befriend Soma."

"I'd love to but… Soma wants nothing to do with me… I've been trying to be his friend since I got here."

"Trust me… I believe he'll come around."

"Ok…"

"Anyway! Lets talk about the cores I need! First, I need a Vajra core and a Kongou core! Hah! Try saying _that_ 10 times fast!

"Ok… I think Soma and I can handle that!" a question pops in my mind. "But… Dr… I get that Soma was alone, but why does everybody hate him so much and call him… things."

"Ah… the 'Harbinger of Death'. Long story short, people believed his birth caused his mother's-Aisha's- death. That's all I will say." With that, I gave the professor a nod and left his lab.

Before I called Soma to head out, I went to the terminal and looked at a section called 'Predator Styles'. They were different Devour techniques and maneuvers one could learn and install on their God Arc. I saw one called 'Sharktooth' that looked useful, so I installed and practiced it. After about an hour, Soma and I met up at our ride. While on our way, we sat across from each other, not saying anything for a while until Soma spoke up.

"Hey." He said to get my attention. "I wanna see what you can do today. Impress me."

"Um… ok?"

"I wanna double check and make sure good enough to where I can call you our captain."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to keep you alive so you can see me in action!"

We arrived at the city and Soma asked Hibari what the field looked like. "Outriders report that one Aragami has taken up in the east and the other in the west." the informed us. "The Kongou is holed up in point K. It's in a hollow, secluded from the other Aragami."

"Hm… I think if we have to take down _both…_ that would be the best place to start."

"Good call." Soma agreed. "No mistakes out there. Understood?"

"Well, I can't promise anything, but I'll do everything to make sure we get this done!"

We made our way to the secluded hollow and encountered our Kongou. We started out pretty good when we engaged it, but I saw Soma getting more and more aggressive my the moment. As the Kongou used a roll attack towards me, Soma jumped in front of me and slammed against the monster with his God Arc. As hard as he tried, the Kongou ended up hitting both of us. As it prepared to use an electric slam, I pull out a stun grenade and slam it on the ground and order Soma to fall back. He refuses to and instead charges the Aragami. The air starts to stir as a purple energy starts emanating from Soma's God Arc. The energy slow Gets larger and turns into a blood red. Soma then lets out a violent scream and slams his massive blade onto the monster, smashing it right down the middle and splitting into two bloody, dead halves. Soma starts breathing heavily as the energy disappears from his Arc.

I start towards Soma ready to give him a piece of my mind. I walk up close to him and as he gives me a cocky 'what?' look, I tighten my fist and fiercely slam it across the side of his face. He falls to the ground and looks up me in shock and anger. "Are you… trying to throw your life away?!" I question him. "If you hadn't realized, Lindow's three orders are still in effect."

"I don't need a wimp like you telling a beast like me what to-

"Shut up with that! You're not a f**king monster! Your not some… Harbinger of Death. You're a human being! So quit saying your life's not worth anything when your mother goes and gives you a chance to give the world some hope!"

Soma looks up at me and gives me a guilty look. I give him a smile and reach my hand out to him. "You…"

"So come on. Don't give on yourself just yet." He looks away and takes my hand I pull him up. I prompt him to follow me as I head towards the Vajra's location. "Now lets do this… right this time."

Soma follows me as I trek towards point M on the west side of the area. We see the Vajra in an open field and we close in from behind. I purposely slow down a bit and let Soma get in front. When he's not looking, I slide onto the ground and activated my Devour. Small jet boosts On the back of the mouth propelled me forward as I dashed and Devoured through the Vajra, getting its attention.

I looked at Soma's face for a moment, and could tell he was surprised. I continued to by swapping to my gun and while turning around and launching my Aragami Bullets at the Vajra. Blasts of purple lightning shot from my God Arc as I leapt backwards. Soma slashed at its front legs while I shot at its head, breaking both bonds in a short time. The Vajra then activates and we stand our ground.

"Go on, get angry! I will still destroy you every time!" Soma shouts at the Vajra. Suddenly, the monster sets its sights on my, and I brace for impact. I fail to open my shield in time, as it couldn't in gun form. It leaps at me and discharges its power in a fierce roar. I cry in pain as the electricity surges through my body. I manage too stand up and go in for another attack as I see the monster go after Soma. I slide under the monster and I cut its underbelly as I pass underneath. As it cries in pain, it launches a row of lightning orb at Soma and I manage to shield him, but the Aragami spins around and knocks me back once more. As I'm on my last legs, I try to use my God Arc to stand up, but Vajra charges at me. As I watch it loom closer, Soma dashes in front of me, blocks the attack, and flips his God Arc upward, knocking it back and following up with a heavy slash downward that kills the monster dead.

As he stares the corpse down for a moment, he looks to me, still on the ground. "There, I didn't die…" he smirks and reaches his hand out, "So _you_ don't die either." I grab his hand and we head back to the starting point.

On the chopper, I had sort of felt guilty for punching Soma and snapping at him. And he could tell. "What's that sorry look for?" he asks me.

"I'm… sorry I sacked you. I overreacted." I apologize.

"Ah, forget about it…. So. You know then."

"Yeah…"

"Figures. Your always in everybody's problems. Seriously, why do you care so much about others?"

His question slightly upsets me. "Because that's the kind of person I am! I can't help worrying about people! What's wrong with that?"

"Whoa whoa! Don't get me wrong. Helping other's is good and all, but you need to look after yourself a little more." His voice; it almost sounded generally kind.

"Oh… alright. Your right, I don't mean to worry others, but if something were to happen to them, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Still… I think I know why your mother died for you."

"Go on. 'Enlighten' me."

"Well… its like this. You know how Eric jumped in front of me and let that Ogretail kill him instead?"

"Yes…"

"I think it was because Eric saw something in me; something worth giving me his life."

"Hmm…"

We're not so different, you know. Everyday, when I look at my brothers sword, or feel Lindow's compass around my neck, or I see Eric's sister wandering the Den, I regret all of them dying. But the same time, I don't regret living because they gave me a chance too do something.

Soma… your mother _knew_ she could possibly die. She knew the risks, and she took them on the hope she had for you." Soma gives me a look and a tear wells up in his eye. "Soma… you are your mother's hope!"

"Heh. That's how _you_ see it." Soma seemed to drift into thought.

"You alright?"

"Heh, will you stop asking that? Anyway, the way you smiled and gave me your hand. It reminded me of someone."

"Really? Who?".

"Oh gee, what was his name? No wasn't Lindow…Mmm…" Soma smirked as he pretended to try and remember. "I don't know. But years ago, I went on a mission with him. It was my first one without Lindow, so I was nervous about being with anyone else. Basically, I fell on my ass, and he gave me a smile that reminds me of yours and he helped me up."

"Really now. Oh yeah! Have I met your expectations? Have I become a 'somewhat decent' God Eater?"

Soma laughs as I remind him what he said to me after we first met. "Eh, your OK."

After a few minutes of silence, I spoke up again as we got close to home. "Hey Soma."

"What?" He sounded a little annoyed, bit I don't blame him. I mean, I am making him be a little more social that normal.

"The party… you were there weren't you?

"Wh-what? Of course I wasn't!"

"You can't fool me! I know you were standing against the wall outside Kota's house!"

"Grr.. dammit…"

The next day, the professor called me into his office again. After apologizing for having to keep calling me in, he sent me on an extermination with Alisa, Sakuya and Kota. We were assigned to travel to the temple area to wipe out a Chi-You and Vajra. The mission was easy enough; some solid teamwork and patience brought the monsters down in no time. As I readied to use my God Arc to Devour the Chi-You however…

"Please, all of you! Hold your Arcs!" I heard a familiar voice call out. I look to the source of the voice to see none other than Dr. Sakaki walking towards us alongside Soma.

"Huh? Doc, why are you here?" Kota asks him.

"Its not often we see you outside the lab, let alone the Den." I joke.

"All will be explained in due time." The doctor replied. "Now, leave that Aragami there for a moment. Come with me. There's something I've to show you."

He leads us to hide beside a building next to a set of steps a few yards away from the Aragami corpse. After a few minutes, the Doctor pulls out a pocket watch and examines it.

"Say, professor…" I address him. "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"Patience, young Silver. Our guest will arrive momentarily." As I continue to watch the Chi-You, something- or someone approaches the body. "There it is! Look its coming!" Sakaki exclaims quietly. I look again to see the figure stand on top of the corpse. Upon closer inspection, I make out what appears to be a… little girl?!

Her hair was white and short, same as her skin. She seemed to wear a tattered cloth that barely covered her private areas and she was coated in blood. Suddenly, my group runs up to her, God Arcs ready, so I do the same just in case?

The pale girl slowly turns toward us and begins to speak. "Uh…I… I am…hungry…"

As my group and I stand cautiously, Dr. Sakaki approaches from behind. "Welcome, welcome! Good tp see you!" He greets her, sounding overjoyed. "it certainly took a while to get you to show yourself, hm?" He turns to Soma and smiles. "Thank you, Soma, for all your help in bringing her here!"

"I'd _like_ a damn explanation rather than your thanks, doctor."

"The little lady was quite determined. Wouldn't appear when we needed herbto, so I took a chance amd eliminated all her natural prey in the region." We all looked as the girl was wobbling on the dead monster. "Hah! Can't fight hunger forever!"

"You are devious, doctor. And I don't know whether that's a compliment."

Without telling us a whole lot more, Sakaki leads us all, including girl, onto the exfil chopper. The whole way home, she sat across from me kicking her feet up and down staring at my with a blank expression. I guess she's been all on her own for a while…

At Sakaki's lab, the girl sat on the floor as we all stood, surrounding her. "So… I'm just gonna ask the question that's on everyone's mind…" Kota announces. "Who the hell is this kid?"

"Well…. She is an Aragami." The doctor answered.

"WHAT?!"

End of chapter 17

* * *

Author's Note- Well, I'm fianlly done-

Kanon- *breaks into house* Why the hell am I NOT in this chapter?!

Me: Uhh... be...cause...

Kanon: Write me in, or ELSE!

Me: Uhh...*scribbles on paper..* There! Your in!

Kanon: *reads* What the hell? An Author's Note scene? Really?

Silver: Kanom, settle down! *locks here in a full nelson.

Kanon: Not till I get my screen time!


	18. Chapter 18:God and Man

God Eater and its characters are owned by Bandai Namco, not me. Now, please enjoy this chapter and be suree to rate and review and all that good stuff!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 18- God and Man

We all exclaimed in shock and stood cautiously distant from the pale little girl that sat on thee floor as we stood around her.

"Did you just say what I think you said you said?!" Sakuya asks in haste, making sure we all heard right. I don't blame her.

"I think he just said what you said you think he said he said." I reply to Sakuya.

"I can say it again, but I assure you it will be no different." The Doctor says, giving us that signature 'not a care in the world' stare. "This _is_ an Aragami."

"Nah-ah. M-m. No way." Kota denied as he shielded his face.

"H-how…?" Alisa wonders, also backing up cautiously.

"Umm…. Professor… why-why would we want to bring this… um… being… into the Den." I asked. "Y'know the place the _God Eaters_ call home? Those people, like us, who-uh… _kill_ them for a living?!" As admittedly cute as the girl was, I was terrified that she would try to Devour me. But Sakaki gave me a look as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Now, Now, be at ease." Sakaki said to try and calm us. "I promise on my scientist's honor that this Aragami has no desire to eat you."

 _Right now at least._ I said in my mind. Still…"Promise, huh? Ok…" I took a moment to calm myself in the presence of this Aragami. Everyone else did the same as the doctor continued.

"Aragami are monsters, yes, and all share a certain trait."

"Bias, right?" I chimed in

"an Aragami's 'coding'. Their predatory nature" Alisa added. Our God Arcs have the same thing. They innately know how to Devour.

"Right, you two. These things are second nature to God Eaters of _your_ caliber." I look towards Kota for a moment and saw he had his usual 'Wait, what?' look on. "This Aragami's Bias is unlike any before." Sakaki continued. "it has predilection only towards beasts of a higher order. As far as _she's_ concerned, we puny humans don't even register as a kind of food." We all continued to look down at the kid as she curiously moved her head around, looking at each of us. "You see, this is a common misconception. Aragami aren't born with the characteristics of other life forms! Not at all! They simply advance at a breakneck pace as they eat more and more every day.

As a result, the possibilities of evolution are condensed into such a short period of time! Choices and changes can come rapidly, and those moments make an Aragami what it is!"

"So your telling me that this… child…" Sakuya started only to be cut off.

"Precisely! As all humankind did, she found a set of skills and stalled there in her process. Its quite remarkable really. She's evolving in the same way a human might."

"So this child is both? An Aragami AND a human?!" Soma concluded

"Yes… well, No. Well, based on the examination I ran earlier, her Oracle Cell's are acting like cranial nerves and synapses, performing exactly as a human might. She has an incredible capacity to learn, evident by her use of language. She holds so much potential!" Sakaki sounded almost excited. Even I'm kind of interested to see what happens with this.

"Ok, Doc!" Kota raises his hand quickly.

"Yes, Kota?"

"I think I've got the gist. Ok, It was a little over my head. But regardless, I'm a little confused. So she talks about food, 'being hungry'… what exactly do you think she means?!" Kota inquired with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Food!" the girl spoke up, causing Kota to jump and hide his face again. I couldn't tell though… was _she answering_ his question?...

"Cause you know, it's a little ominous!"

"The Bias of Aragami, Kota, dictates its dinner choices." Sakaki started explaining. "As a rule, they will not partake of anything like unto themselves. Understand? Now that said, in times of-er- dire need they'll umm… gobble up anything they can get their mitts, paws, or claws on. Survival comes first after all."

"Gai!" I screamed as we all once again backed away cautiously.

"Of course, that's just an exception to the rule, as all good rules must have. Hehe."

Sakaki didn't seem very worried, so I approached the girl and crouched down to her. "So as long as we just feed her, then she won't hurt us, right?" I assumed.

"Correct, Silver. Anyway, the word 'Aragami' is actually an epithet for the creatures. Many of them appeared in the shape of "Gods", or divine-esque beings. And here is the rub. What thought process; what evolutionary trick caused them to adopt such forms? They emulate creatures humanity has worshipped for years and years. And how _did_ we come to worship them."

"If I had to guess…. Most of them saw the Gods people once worshipped and inspired themselves to take those forms. But this little one… she saw people, and was inspired by them!" I gave the child a curious look as she continued circling her head around the room.

"That's the gist. Its beyond rare. Its unheard of! Anyway…. But I digress and ramble, and I think you all are thoroughly matched by this study group. So I leave you with this—and I think its best—lets keep this little secret to ourselves, OK? No need to let word of this get out."

"Doctor, certainly we'll have to report this to the advisor… to the Director." Sakuya pointed out.

"Ms. Tachibana…" Sakaki addressed her as he approached her. "You are an exalted God Eater. A stalwart defender of humankind. Noble and brave. Do you mean to tell your superiors that I, in _your_ trust, stole an Aragami, smuggled her into the forward command, and planned to keep her?

Sakuya had a flustered expression. "Well… I… Um.. No, but why?"

Sakaki zoomed in to her face as she backed her head away. "Did I not mention that? I thought I mentioned that. Because she's a valuable sample! Simply perfect for my own personal research. Nothing more than that. And besides…. I'm sure _you_ wouldn't want anyone to pry in _your_ private affairs, Ms. Tachibana?" Was he just threatening her…?

"Sakuya." I spoke up. "We're already accomplices, so it'd do _us_ no good to report this. Besides, as a Unit Captain, I think it would be good for me; for all of us; to learn about her."

"Well, you seem to be quite interested, young Silver."

"Well maybe… I just consider myself a curious person. And besides, if a person can become an Aragami, maybe the reverse is also true."

"Thank you, Silver. I thought I could count on you. Now, most importantly, I believe that she will needs some friends." The doctor turns to Soma and gives him a 'look'. "I think she'll find a particular affection for you, Soma."

Soma's eyes widen in anger. "You're out of your mind! She can pretend, but she is NOT a human! She's still a monster on the inside." _Soma…_ just as I thought I was getting him to be just a _little_ more open. Then again… she is technically an Aragami. Soma turns toward the door and stomps out in a hurry. I look down at the girl and it looked like she had a faint look of.. sadness. Did he hurt her feelings?

"Hey, don't listen to him, little girl." Kota said, trying to comfort her. "Soma's a big meanie."

"Anyway…" Doctor Sakaki continued. "To make this girl feel a little more welcome, I would like you all to think of a name for her."

"You want us to… _name_ her?" Alisa repeated.

"Of course! We can't just call her 'the child' or 'the specimen'. That seems… cruel. I simply have no aptitude for such a task, so I lay it on you all to find a suitable name in my stead. Go to."

"Go to!" The soon-to-be-named girl repeated.

I stood and pondered to try and think of what I'd call the girl. I'm new to this as well; I've never had a pet, let alone a child, so I'm struggling of course. "How about… Aerith?"

"Dude, if you're just gonna pick game character names, then let me pick something." Kota responded.

"Oh c'mon, I've never… named anyone before. Hmm… how about… Winter?"

"If anything, that sounds like a boy's name." Alisa pointed out. "It kind of sounds fitting though…"

"Aight, stand back. Its my turn." Kota proclaimed. "I hate to brag, but I'm a pretty good name…er of.. things and stuff."

Alisa lets out a slightly annoyed sigh. "Well that seems ominous."

"Hmm… let us see here… how about…Bam I got it!"

"Ok, shoot." I say.

"Norami!"

We all give Kota a stare. "Uh.. no!" Alisa plainly rejects.

"Oh what, you got a better idea?!"

"I didn't _say_ that, why should I have to-

"Ha! I found you out, sista! You're scared that you ain't got no style!"

"I most certainly am NOT afraid you… brute!" These two… they're always bickering. Sakuya says I should talk to them about it, but its too fun to watch. "She could be called…. Um…."

"Shio!" The snow white girl blurted out.

"Hah, yes that's perfect! And exactly what I was about to say. Thank you, Shio."

"Your such a liar!" Kota shouted. "Shame on you, Alisa. Anyway, if we can't think of anything, lets go with 'Norami'."

"Shio!" the girl repeated.

"Is Shio… already your name?" Sakuya asks her.

"Yep! Shio!"

"Hmhm… I like it." I said quietly.

"Well then. It seems THIS was a vain exercise." Sakaki chimes in. "It seems she has already been christened. Very well. Shio it is!"

"What?! Come on!" Kota exclaimed.

"Kota hey… I thought Norami was a good name, but this girl-Shio- likes the name she has."

"Hey, are you suuuuure you don't wanna be 'Norami'? Its pretty cool!"

"Nope!" Shio answers

"Well there ya go Kota! When a girl makes up her mind, there's no changin' it!" I crouch to the floor and look at Shio with a smile. "Its very nice to meet you, Shio. I'm Sil-ver."

"Sil…ver. Silver... shiny!"

The doctor lead the little girl to the room to the right behind his computer setup. After getting her settled in, he asked us to excuse his so he could do his research and whatnot. As my group left, I turned to Sakaki as he and I were the only two left in the Lab. "Um… doctor Sakaki?" I addressed him as he typed away on his computers.

"Yes?"

"Can… I tell Kanon about this?"

"Absolutely not." He bluntly, slightly sternly answers. "Shio's existence is restricted to those who met her as of now, meaning all First Unit members."

"I see…."

"I am aware of how close you are to Ms. Daiba, and I would love her to meet Shio. But admittedly, I'm not certain she can keep a secret this dire."

"Right. Well, I hope she doesn't start suspecting anything…"

"Lets hope so. By the way… I did have a name in mind."

"Really? What was it?"

"Yuzo."

"That's…!" _My mother's name!_ "I wonder where she got her name…"

"Maybe… the one who's no longer with us…"

I didn't hear what he had said. "Sorry?"

"Ah, nothing. Anyway, I have high hopes that you all will help Shio _and_ I greatly."

"I'll do what I can." With that I take my leave as I bid the doctor good night.

"I know you will, Silver." He says to himself as the door closes. "Because the ones who change the world… are the foolish youths who don't think ahead."

I headed back to my room and prepared to call it a night. I arrived at the Rookie Section and approached my room until I realized: "Wait… this isn't me room anymore…" I'm such a dolt. Laughing at myself for a moment, I turned back toward the elevator. I thought about stopping in to see Kanon, but I didn't want to risk accidentally letting my tongue slip. After correcting myself and heading to my _actual_ room, I thought about our new… actually I'm not sure what to call her. Friend? Class pet? No… "Shio…" I said her name to myself as I drifted to sleep.

A couple mornings later, I met up with Kota who was leaning against the railing by the stairs in the lobby. He seemed to be lost in thought. "Mornin'". He greeted me. I leaned on the railing next to him and greeted him back. He gave me a sigh that sounded almost depressed.

"You OK?"

"World's kinda sorry now isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"I mean… its just so dark. A long time ago, before the Aragami appeared, the world was beautiful. It was… right, y'know? No daily struggle to survive or giant monsters."

"I get what you mean. And now look…"

"Ok, I really don't know." Kota slightly laughed at himself. "I'm just quoting stuff I read on the Norn."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"Heh, seriously, have you seen the videos they have from before the Aragami showed up? They rock!"

"N-no… I haven't. I've never thought about the past world very much. It's just… a reminder of what's gone forever." Like I can say that guilt free. Here I am carrying around a bandana, a compass, and a sword taller than me; all from people I'll never see again.

"Well… they did upload all these old TV shows and games."

"Yeah, like Bugarally"

"Oh I've been marathoning that one like crazy! It's the best!"

"I swear your obsessed."

"Heh, OK Mr. Final Fantasy!" Kota lets out another sigh. "Everyone must have been so happy back then. None of this paranoia. After work, you get to head home, hug your family, and they'd be so happy to see you." A small tear fell for Kota's eye as he continued to speak. "You'd tell each other about your day, and everyone would laugh together. You'd stay up and play games… then when you finally went to sleep, you'd only worry about tomorrow's dinner and tomorrow's games. Then you close you eyes and tomorrow came, just like that."

"You've been thinking a lot lately, huh?"

"Yeah. No one back then thought the future would be like this. Nobody thought we'd grow up afraid."

"Well its not like we can see into the future."

"Yeah. They sure as hell couldn't. There's no one to blame for the world we have now."

"Y'know… I can't imagine life without the way things are right now. With what I've seen, I can't even think of a world without Aragami. Can you even imagine how painful that is for me? But… even with the way things are, people still find ways to be happy."

"Well, like you said, I've been thinking about the past a lot. If Aegis is completed, maybe we can have that back. No more fear or fighting… joy a measure of joy in our lives."

"Kota… you're absolutely right. I mean, what's the point of protecting the world of we can't bring back the things that made it special?"

"Oh hey, did I show you this?" Kota pulls from his pocket; a small head made of wool that looked just like Kota's. It had big blue buttons for eyes and black stitching on the mouth.

"Aww, that's cute. Did you're mom make that?"

"Nope, my little sis made it. It's a good luck charm."

"Your family is crafty."

"You got that right! I gotta be sure to stock up on presents for her next time I head home."

"I'm sure she'll love whatever you buy her."

"I guess. Anyway, we should get ready to head out."

"Right!"

In the subway, Kota and I were tagged along with by Kanon and Tatsumi. This was my first time working with him, and I've got to say, he's quite a fighter. He was quick with his blade, a little faster than me even, he was completely focused, and he kept a keen eye out in case anyone was in danger. I can easily call him a good leader. During a face off with a Vajra, he suggested that Kota and Kanon shoot its front legs until it staggered and then we slashed straight through them and rendered it unable to stand. In a matter of time, the beast was slain dead. Kota and Kanon shot it from the sides at its head and I slice through its face. As it was successfully killed, it let out one last roar.

"Ahh, nothing like the sound of an Aragami _dying…"_ Kanon said in a disturbingly pleased tone. I was looking at Tatsumi, admiring his skills.

"Heh. Damn, Tatsumi, they should have made _you_ the First Unit's Captain." I praised him.

"Yeah, and then I could spend more time with Silver!" Kanon added with a bright smile as she hugged my arm. I didn't mind it of course.

"Nah, I would have refused. Besides. Lindow wanted _you_ to take his spot." Tatsumi replied.

While on the ride home, I thought about just why Lindow picked me. After scratching my head, the cloth over it made me think of an answer. "Did… Lindow pick me just because I'm Galen's brother?"

"Whoa, you're wrong there." Tatsumi replied.

"Huh? But… why else would he-

"Because of something he saw in you. I don't know exactly what it is, but I also know there's _something._ And Lindow told me that he didn't like you just because you're a good guys little bro."

"Yeah, dude, give _yourself_ some credit. Who trekked the world for _five years_ and made it to the Far East _alive_?" Kota adds.

"Me…"

"Yep! And who helped myself AND Alisa get back on our feet when we needed help more than ever?" Kanon also reminds me.

"I did?"

"That's what we mean." Tatsumi clarified. "Galen has nothing to do with your success as a God Eater. Actually, he was somewhat of an older bro to me as well, so there's a distinction between you and him. Now in terms of your 'way with the ladies…'

"Heh, yeah, he kinda rubbed on me there."

When we got back to the Den, Kanon and Kota dispersed from Tatsumi and I as he called me over to talk. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you for what you've done for Kanon."

"No need, she's already done that."

"Nah, ever since you reached your hand out for her, bonded with her, she's become a lot more confident… and her aim is getting so much better."

"That's good."

"I feel like our Unit is closer together now, and its thanks to you."

"Hm. Your both welcome. I mean, I couldn't leave such a beautiful young woman like she was."

"Uh huh, sure. You know you had a thing for her before that."

I felt my face get hot as I turned away from Tatsumi slightly. "Shut up! At least I got her to go out with me."

Tatsumi lowered his head in defeat. I could almost see the depression flowing out of him as he let out a sigh. "If only your words were their own God Arc…" he raised his hand in a 'goodbye' fashion as he walked down the stairs. He was so down he didn't even notice Hibari walked past him.

"H-hi Silver!" She nervously greeted me.

"Hey. Thanks for your help today!"

"Th-thanks. Anyway, is Tatsumi OK? He seemed down." Did she not hear any of our conversation?

"He's fine. Probably tired." I lied.

"Ok… oh yeah Alisa wanted me to tell you she's in Dr. Sakaki's Laboratory."

"Huh? I can't imagine why she'd need me in there…" I pretended to wonder. "Oh well, thanks again!" I gave her a wave as I made my way to the elevator. I entered the lab to see Alisa and Kota looking down to Shio, who was again, sitting on the floor.

"Yo!" Shio greeted me. "Haha!" Did… Kota teach her to greet like that? I can't help but find myself smiling wide.

"Yes! Told ya!" Kota says to Alisa.

"Of course _you_ would teach her to talk that way! Its absolutely vulgar!" Alisa retaliates.

"Loosen up Alisa." I softly tell her. "Its not 'vulgar', its casual."

"Yeah, there's nothin' wrong with it!"

"Ain't nothin' wrong!" Shio repeats in her soft voice.

"Shio, don't listen to Kota. You don't want to grow up to be an idiot, right?" Alisa firmly asked Shio. _Oohhh no._

Kota looked as if he was fuming as his head was low. "What was that?..." He quietly, yet angrily demanded.

"You heard me. We don't want her becoming an idiot."

"I am… not a damn idiot! What's with you?! Sure, I'm no 'perfect student' like you, but I'm not dumb OK?! I'm just…. Dammit!" Kota storms out of the room in a huff and I shake my head.

"Dangit… Sakuya was right." I told myself. "I thought it was just harmless bickering at first but now I see its not… Alisa."

"Yes, captain?" she shamelessly answered as she paid attention to Shio.

"Kota… isn't stupid. He and I had a good heart to heart yesterday. Kota is a simple person who wants to see others happy. What's wrong with that?"

"N-nothing… I guess…"

"You seriously hurt him just now." Alisa gave me a guilty look. I could tell she truly was sorry.

"I… owe him an apology then. Maybe… I'll spend some quality time with him…"

"I'm sure he'll like that."

Alisa gave me a nod, smiled, and turned back to Shio. "Now, try this: 'A good day to you, Shio.'"

"Good… day to you?" Shio followed Alisa's example.

"Perfect! Good job Shio!" Alisa pat the girl on the head. I will admit, a young lady should sound polite when she greets someone. The little Aragami laughed and approached me.

"Silver! Alisa said 'good job Shio!'" the girl told me. "That's a nice thing, right?"

"Yep!" I kneelt down and patted Shio's head. "When someone says 'good job', that's a nice thing."

The girl laughed in glee. "Alisa said it was good!"

"She's pretty quick, isn't she?"

"Indeed! She's learn so much so fast, partially due to you all engaging her like this." Sakaki told us. "Still… she is much more intelligent than I thought she might be. Its astounding that she survived so long in the wild all this time having _this_ locked inside."

"Heheh, you like me then."

"Huh?" Shio gave me a puzzled look. "Shio is… like Silver?"

"Mhm. I lived alone for a looong time with nobody to talk to. You must have been desperate to talk with somebody." I tried to explain, but the girl still looked confused.

"Alone…" Shio wondered out loud.

"Ahem. Alisa, don't you have someone to talk to?"

"Y-yeah. I'll go do that." Alisa leaves us and I was surprised to feel Shio grab my hand. The girl stood up and gave me smile.

"Silver, come!" Shio requested. I followed her to the room behind the computer, the same room that the professor led her to the day prior. I walked in with her and what was a plain white room was now covered in colorful doodles on the walls.

"Shio did you… draw these?" I looked at one of the drawings that vaguely looked like an Ogretail.

"Uh-huh! I love to draw! Do you like to draw?"

"I never have." I smile in my head. Its amazing that just moments ago we were teaching this girl to talk, and now I'm having a normal conversation with her. I can't even think of her as an Aragami; more like a lost child that needs a home and family. I look to Shio as she held out a crayon in her hand, prompting me to take it. I take the drawing tool and turn to a blank space on the wall and tab the wall thinking of what I should make. After moments of thinking, I laugh at myself and tell Shio that I can't think of anything. "Haha, you're funny, Silver. I like you!"

Kota POV

Man, that Alisa, who does she think she is? Thinking she's all 'better than everyone.' I do everything I can to have her back, and _this_ is thee thanks I get? I thought she'd learn not to crap on others that weren't her. People have feelings y'know! And besides, there's nothing wrong with teaching Shio to talk casually. I'm mad at her yet… I can't help bit feel sorry I yelled at her.

"Um… Kota?" I heard Alisa call from behind me. Speak of the devil.

"Hm? Oh its you. What do you want?" I asked, still miffed at her.

"I… I wanted too apologize for calling you an idiot. It… wasn't right." She had a guilty look on her face that I was having a hard time not wanting to forgive. "I… haven't been nice to you at all since I got here really, and I want to make it up to you."

"Oh. Ok. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, don't be. You had every right. Can you forgive me?"

"Heh, am I still an idiot?" I gave smiled at her

"Hmhm… I don't know. Maybe I should spend some time with you and decide for myself."

"Hey, stop by my room sometime. We'll watch some Bugarally together!"

"That sounds nice. And I'll even make you a bowl of borsch."

 _The hell is that?_ I asked in my head. "I'd like that. Thanks Alisa."

I guess it'd be a good idea to clean my room now.

Silver POV

I spent almost an hour with Shio in the room that we now called hers. As I watched her scribble on the walls, she let out a big yawn. Of course she's tired. "I'm going, OK Shio. See you?"

"See… you?" She repeats.

"That means I'll come by again." I clarified.

"Oh, Ok! See you!" I patted the girls head and left her to sleep. I stepped out of her room to see the good doctor doing his usual thing. He cocked his head towards me slightly to acknowledge that he noticed me.

"Hmhm. You were in there for a good while." Sakaki points out, almost sounding like he was teasing me.

"Yeah, I know. I think I just got a feel for what being an older brother is like."

"I am certain yours would be proud."

"Oh, Professor. I was wondering: do you have any idea how old Shio is?"

"Hm. See, I've been looking into exactly that and sad to say, but I cannot determine Shio's definite age. BUT… It is quite possible, if not certain, that she has been alive for as long as Aragami have existed."

"Can that really be?"

"Of course, its simply a possibility. She may very well as young as she appears."

I thought for a moment too come up with a hypothesis on my own, but I can't think of anything different from the doc.

Two weeks later-

I went to visit Sakuya, seeing as it had been a few days since we took inn Shio. Funny; she sat me down and tossed me a beer and I reminded her that I promised I wouldn't drink it yet. Sakuya laughed and instead offered me a soda. "Sorry. I'm so used to Lindow barging into my room to take my beer rations because he drank his own." Sakuya rambled. "It annoyed me at first but, I came to enjoy his company. And besides, the stuff tastes terrible. I really only kept it for him anyway."

"You miss him." I stated.

"Everyday. But I'm doing OK thanks to you. So what's going on with Shio?"

"She's learning so fast! And she's fun to be with. I only wish I could get Kanon to meet her. Say, why haven't you spent any time with her?"

"Well, to be honest, it's a little nerve racking. I mean, its-

"She. Not it." I firmly corrected.

"I'm… sorry. _She_ is an Aragami, and this whole thing makes me ask over and over 'is this _really_ ok?'"

"Well I say you should take some time to spend with her. Alisa and Kota are enjoying it." I finished the drink that Sakuya had given me and stood up. "Anyway, the Doctor wanted to see me soon. I'm bringing Soma along."

"Hah! Have fun with _that!"_ Sakuya and I laugh a bit. "Anyway, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. You put my mind at ease, Silver."

"Anything for a lad-", My cunning smirk turns into a serious face. "No; friend. Anything for a friend."

"Some things never change…"

I met Soma in Dr. Sakaki's lab to find out what he needed. According to his mail, it was somewhat important. Soma was sitting on a sofa to the left of the entrance, and the good doctor was nowhere in sight. "Huh? Where's the Professor?" I asked Soma.

"In the girl's room." He plainly answered as his arms were crossed and his eyes were closed.

"Did he say what he needed?"

"How should I know? I only just got here myself."

Sakaki emerged with Shio from her room and sat on the blue corner sofa. "Good day to you both. Hard at work I imagine?"

"Yeah." I simply respond.

"Good. Anyway, thanks to you, Shio's natural intelligence has skyrocketed. She's nearly at an adult level of comprehension and conversation."

"I did really good!" Shio adds. "Thank you! Thank you both" She gives Soma and I a bow each

"She does still retain _some_ speech patterns."

"Well you can't help that." I say. "Shio talks like Shio."

"Right you are. In any case, I have asked you to come here as we have a pressing issue. I don't mean to frighten you, but... um… we have no source of food for Shio. Needless to say, this must be handled immediately."

I think about what the Doctor said before; that Aragami will try to eat whatever they can. Even if Shio is a pickier eater, it wouldn't be good if she tried to eat anything-or any _one_ \- in the Den. "What has she been eating?"

"Well I had a sufficient stockpile of cores… heh, or I _thought_ it sufficient. But I seemed to have used the last of them just yesterday."

"What can we do?"

"Well, I think its time you took our young lady out for a night. A 'date' if you will." Sakaki requested.

A 'date'? "Um, professor, I'll take her to find some food, but I'm already dating somebody."

"Well then, that means you have some experience! Its perfect!" Something tells me he doesn't see my point. "Now, a full three course dinner should suffice. Good luck to you!"

"Good luck!" Shio also bid to Soma and I

"So why the hell am _I_ here?" Soma asks in a grump. "You can't just force jobs on me!"

"So Silver, you recruited Soma did you?" Sakaki realized. "Truly proof of your leadership. Well done!"

Soma shoots a glare at me, but I don't let it get to me. "Don't be so angry. Its just another mission." I calmly say to him. "You're on as much of a hook as the rest of us, so deal with it."

"I suppose you won't be able to resist now, will you Soma?"

"Damn you Old Man…" Soma curses under his breath. He gives the doctor a reluctant nod.

"Lovely! Now, go forth and feast!"

"Thank you much!" Shio gratefully says with a bow. A puzzled look appears on her face. "Um… Doctor? What's a date mean?"

"Well, a date Shio is when- I started, only to be interrupted.

"It's a joyous occasion for all!" Saki answered over me. _Actually, a date is a joyous occasion for_ two.

"Sounds delicious! I'm ready for a joyous occasion!" Shio excitedly cries out.

"Alright then. Now Soma, be sure too escort the lady properly alright?"

"Ugh! Why do I have to?" Soma complained angrily. "Make Kota go!"

"What an splendid idea! Kota will join you three as well."

"That's not what I…whatever."

With that, Sakaki told us about a way to sneak Shio in and out of the Den in order to find some food for her. This reminds me; I think I'll take Kanon out for dinner sometime.

End of Chapter 18

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Author's Note- Its been what, a month and a half since i uploaded the last chapter? I am SO sorry for that long hiatus. I start doing some stuff, then i had to deal with some hurricane shinanigans, but now I should be able to start making chapters again. Please look forward to them!


	19. Chapter 19:Human After All

All characters are owned by Bandai Namco. Thank you all for reading, and please enjoy this chapter. Thanks!

* * *

GE Silver Chapter 19-Human After All

" _Big bro… um… will I make any friends when we get there?" I had asked my older brother when we had left the settlement after our mother died. I never really had friends at the settlement._

" _Silver…" I remember Galen saying to me. "Can you do something for me?"_

" _What is it?" I replied._

" _There's someone in the Far East Branch who could really use a friend."_

" _Huh? What's he like?"_

" _Well… he's almost your age, and he's sad allthe time."_

" _But… why?"_

" _Hmm… I'm not the one who can tell you that."_

" _What's his name?"_

" _His name was… now what was it?" He pretended to forget._

I woke up from my daydream when I left the doctors lab. After the good doctor arranged a 'date' for Shio and my selected members and I went and told Kota about the assignment. I saw him snickering as I told him about it and I asked what was so funny. "Heh. Make sure Kanon don't find out!" he teased. "She'll have your head."

"Hey, your just jealous… fourth wheel!" I retaliated. He and I shared some laughter as we sat and had a drink together, non alcoholic of course. "Anyway, so Alisa and you are good?"

"Yeah we made up. We even watched Bugarally together."

"Really? Does she like it?"

"I… can't tell. I'll ask her. Anyway, how do we sneak Shio outta here? We had a hard enough time getting her IN!"

"Dr. Sakaki has an armored convoy truck hidden away where only the he knows about. Its got a sort of back door."

"Ooh! Can I drive it?!" Kota started jumping up and down.

"Kota, do you even know _how_ to drive? And besides, Soma's driving."

"Oh. Soma's coming. Goodie…."

"Hey, please do your best not to upset him. I think he _is_ trying to get better."

Kota gave me a doubtful look. "I'll try…"

Soma POV

Me, the Aragami girl, the kid, and the _other_ kid met up back in the Old Man's lab to get a briefing on this… 'date'. The two got here and the old man spoke about the mission on the way to the secret area where our vehicle waited. "Your date for Shio will be a picnic at the carrier." Sakaki stated. I really hope he shuts up about this whole 'date' thing. "Today's menu, a charged Chi-You. There should be some small fries there, too."

With the truck instead of a chopper, it took almost half an hour to get to the carrier. Usugiri sat next to me in the passenger seat, and looked like he was thinking about something, occasionally glancing at me. When we arrived, the girl was bouncing up and down impatiently.

"Food… Foooooood!" Shio says gazing at the Fallen Chi-You in the distance.

"Hey, we hear you, hold on, Shio!" Kota says to her, trying to settle her down.

"Ooh, can I eat them? Please? Pretty please?!" This girl must think she's cute, but I know better.

"Take it easy, kid. Don't worry!" Kota turns to me with an annoyed expression. "Hey Soma, would you just talk to her already?"

"Yeah, you haven't talked with her _at all_ since we took her in." Silver pointed out. Why _should_ I have to say anything?

"Soma, can we go eat now?" Shio asks me with her eyes almost shimmering.

"Go ahead." I tell her with a fake smile, trying to sound welcoming. Needless to say, it still didn't sound that way. "Do whatever you want, Shio."

"But be sure to stay close, OK?" Silver warns the girl.

"Yaayy, Nomming time!" Shio cheers. She follows Usugiri as he leaps off the back of the carrier. Honestly, is this girl really worth all this trouble? Anyway, the Chi-You waited in the back of the area for us by a small radio tower. After doing its signature finger taunt, it shot its electric projectiles. As Shio watched closely from behind, Silver and I split up and slash at the monsters sides, while Kota covered the front. It staggered from the shots, so Silver and Kota took the opportunity to each bombard the fists, and I finished it off by slashing it in half from behind. As it fell to the ground, Silver signaled Shio, who had been watching us with an astounded look in her eyes. She waltzed over blissfully to the Chi-You's corpse and placed her hands together.

"Lets eat! Thank you for the food!" She said to who I can assume is us.

"Alisa taught her that." Kota whispers over to Silver. "I think she was right teaching her to act politely like that."

As the girl was about ready to feast on the monster, she stopped and turned around. "Oh… wait, wait, wait!"

"What's wrong, Shio?" the 'captain' asked her with concern.

"Soma!" the girl turned her head towards me. "Soma, you wanna come eat, too?" What the- whats this girl thinking?!

"Hehe, Whoa there, Shio." Kota chimed in. "We don't eat Aragami. We're human, you see?"

"Hu..man?" the girl wondered for a moment. "But… but… um…Soma's Aragami says he's hungry, and wants to eat!"

"What the-?!"

"Shut up!" I cried out. "That's…I'm not a monster! I am nothing like you! Nothing!" I quickly turned my back on them to hide myself.

"The hell, man?!"

"Soma, settle down, she didn't-

"Just shut up for once!" I demanded furiously. "I'm so sick of ALL of you!"

The monster girl began following me; I could tell. "Soma!" she called out to me. "I was alone for a long time." I stopped to hear what she had to say. "I didn't have anybody at all…" She continued with a sad tone. "Silver said _he_ was just like me. So now…um… is that right?" she asked herself. "Um… so now… I'm happy! Because I found you, Soma. Because I found _all_ of you. My friends. And because… so now I can… um…!" I can't listen to this anymore…

"Soma, get back here, man. C'mon!"

"Leave me the hell alone…" I quickly made my way back to the truck to wait till they were done here. As I got away for them, I feel tears in my eyes as I hear myself start to sob. Heh… I believe I'm actually crying right now. Damn monster girl…if she took one step outside of that lab, she'd know how I really feel: hated.

Silver POV-

I helplessly watched as Soma stomped away from us as Shio tried to help him understand her.

"Be moodier, Soma. Jeez…" Kota calls out to him as Shio came back to us. "Why's he gotta be like that? Its no wonder he's got no friends!"

"Kota!" I shouted. "Uncalled for! You… don't understand…" I said as I turned away from him, reminding myself of why Soma is _really_ disliked. Kota gave me a suspicious look.

"hm? What's that look for? You know somethin'?"

I took Kota to the edge of the carrier and we sat down. Shio sat with us and stared at the sky with a sad look in her eyes. I then told Kota what I'd learned about Soma. How he was injected with a Bias Factor before he was born, how...whatever… happened to his mother, and what it resulted in. Kota couldn't believe his ears.

"So… that's pretty much it." I finished.

"Wow… That's just.." Kota was at a loss for words for a moment. "So that makes him the original God Eater, huh?"

"Basically. The first to use the God Arcs we know and use today."

"The basis of all this, God Arcs and…. Wow… and worse… The poor guy thinks he killed his own mom? Just by being born?! That's terrible!"

"Yeah. Soma was thought of as a monster by _everyone._ They hated him, and then he hated himself."

"How… long has he been carrying that around?"

"Since… the beginning. Maybe had I got here sooner… hey Kota."

"Yeah?"

"Do everything you can to be a friend to Soma. You two have like… nothing in common, but please. He's someone who could really use a friend."

Kota gave me a determined look with a confident smile. "Got it. I'll do anything I can for him."

"Thank you…"

A few days later, things went relatively normal. I had, though, received a message from Alisa.

Subject: Its Shio!

Message: Thanks for the other day. Next time, I'll catch something for you. Remember that…

Shio had learned how to spell and type things on a terminal. She had started sending mail to us… her friends. Kota told me he tried to sit her down to watch Bugarally, but instead of enjoy the show's action adventure, focused on how 'yummy' the creatures looked. I had returned from a mission to fond the Den fairly quiet, and saw Soma sitting on the sofa up top. I went ahead and approached him. "Hey." I plainly greeted.

"Hey." He returned. He seemed like he was lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?"

"Its about Shio. I look at her and I can't help but feel like she's a better human than me."

"Don't say things like that. You're a human, you know."

"Tell that to all of them. The ones that hated me. Everybody!"

"They don't hate you. They misunderstand. I don't hate you. Kota doesn't hate you. Shio-

"I get it. You're a pain, y'know that?"

"Heh. Hey Soma."

"Hm?"

"Thanks. Without you, we may not be able to fight Aragami. Protect our loved ones." Soma gives me a shocked look, as if he'd never been thanked before, and didn't quite know what to say.

"Well… you gave me a water. We're even." I nodded and stood up. I went ahead and left him so he could be lost in thought again. As I made my way downstairs, I saw Kanon at the Shopkeeper's setup.

"10 Ampules, and that'll be it." She sounded furious and I almost didn't want to approach her, but as a ladiesma-I mean… her almost-boyfriend, I should see what's wrong.

"Kanon, hey!" I greeted, happy to see her.

"I'm busy, sorry." Kanon angrily replied. She marched off in the direction of the elevator and entered it. I quickly dashed and jumped into it before it closed, just barely too. "What?!" She demanded. "Sorry… I'm just... pissed right now."

"Please. Talk to me."

"Ugh… I'm trying my damndest, I really am, but… I always hear things from people." Her voice quieted a bit.

"What kind of things?" I said, ready to tell off whoever talks down on her.

" I hear 'Just don't do anything!', 'you're a fixed cannon!', 'you're a nuisance!' all the time. I just… don't wanna be a burden…" Kanon had tears in her eyes. I cupped her chin and had her look at me.

"Listen. What are you?"

"A God Eater…?"

"No. Your human. You are bound to make mistakes. They just don't get a chance to see how good you can _really_ be. When I see you out there putting holes in Zygotes, you're shining out there. Hell, I almost have to avert my eyes."

Kanon gave me a smile filled with determination. "OK! I'll keep on keepin on, then!" The doors opened at the Laboratory section and I walked out with Kanon to the shooting range. When she entered the doorway, I tapped her shoulder. As she turned around, I brought her head closer to me and lightly pressed my lips against her forehead. When I took them off, she looked up at me and gave a confident smile. "I owe you. So much."

"I'll hold you to that." I warned her. "I've gotta go, OK?"

"K. Stop by later?"

"Of course." How could I say no to that cute smile?

She started walking into the room, but stopped to say something else. "By the way… where have you been?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" _Crap…. Is she onto me?_

"Well… you're not around anymore."

"Well I…" what do I day…? "Dr. Sakaki's been having me help him out with research related… stuff."

"Hmm… OK then…" I watched her leave and headed into the doctors lab.

I see Alisa and Kota simply sitting down on the seats in Sakaki's lab. I went over to talk to Dr. Sakaki until I notice Shio start walking towards Alisa and giving her curious look. As Shio stops in front of her and does the most unexpected thing: forces her forward onto Alisa's breasts. Alisa shrieks loudly as her face becomes beat red. Alisa continued to stammer as our little 'monster' kept groping her boobs.

"Hmm… soft and soft…" Shio observed. I, of course and laughing uncontrollably at what's happening.

"Heh, Kota." I whisper to him. "I'm sure if I did that to Kanon, she'd punch me across the room." We both snickered as Shio came walking to where we were. Kota looked up at her from where he was sitting as she approached him. She then slapped her hands on Kota's shoulder's repeatedly, to which he 'ows' in pain.

"Hmm… hard and hard…" the girl gave Kota a curious look.

I had walked over to ask Sakaki a question when suddenly I feel Shio hug me from behind quite tightly. "Gah, Shio!" I said with a laugh. She let go of me and walk to the front of me and reached upward towards my head. She manages to reach my bandana and rubs it lightly.

"Ooh, scratchy…" she again observes. "So weird…."

"I'm pretty sure _you're the_ weird one here, Shio." Kota says with a smile.

"Shio isn't weird… Shio is… Shio!"

"Huh. This is new…" I pondered out loud.

"Hm. New indeed." The professor agreed with me. "She's begun drawing conclusions based on unique differences. She's finding specificity!"

"What? Between all of us?" Alisa spoke up with a slight chuckle.

"Right. She's finding the uniqueness between people; race, gender, personality, body-type! She's piqued by diversity I believe!"

"Well, everybody _is_ different." I added. "I guess that's just one more thing that makes us human."

"Hmhm, that's a good point." Sakaki praised. "Aragami breed-if such a term can be used- asexually. They each create more and more of itself. Yet knew species grow, such as the Vajra. Shio may not have a concept of gender, but she's maturing and beginning to understand."

"Well she certainly _seems_ to be a girl. In appearance at least." Alisa said.

"Hey, am I crazy, or does she seemed to have grown a little bit?"

"Hmm… she certainly does. We should do something about those clothes don't you think? The Director will be returning soon."

"The Doctors right, you know." I said as I kneelt down to Shio. "A cute girl should wear something pretty."

"Hmm… Yes! Something pretty!" Shio repeated, sounded excited at the idea.

Out in the lobby, I saw Shun and Karel wandering around the Den frantically. I decided to see what was up. "Hey, Shun!" I called out to him. He turned to me and cocked his head upward in a greeting fashion as he approach me. "You guys lookin' for someone?"

"Yeah, have you seen Kanon?" Shun asked me.

"Huh? She went to the shooting range a while ago, why?"

"Dangit! I was hoping I could get her to join me on a mission."

"I thought she was an inconvenience to you guys?" I asked with a grudge from what they'd said before.

"Well y'know, she's gotten better and… missions go a lot smoother with her around."

"And there's a rumor that she's some 'Goddess of Rare Drops' or something."

"Really?" I angrily turn to ask Karel. "I thought you said she was a devil?"

"Hey, devil or not, her medical skills come in handy when the boss isn't around."

I was surprised at what I had heard. Part of me felt like I should tell Kanon. "I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Silver. You da man!" Shun said to me as he walked past me. "See, told you he was alright." I heard Shun and Karel begin to bicker with each other like usual. I went over to a terminal to stock myself for the next day, and headed to bed afterwards

The Next Day

As usual, Dr. Sakaki requested all of us come to his lab. After I had just gotten back from a mission too... Anyway, my whole Unit was gathered when I entered. "Sorry for summoning you all in haste, but I have a problem." Sakaki began to explain. "A problem well beyond my experience as a man of science."

"What can we help ya with?" I asked, happy to help him when he needed it.

"Well see… would you mind helping to… dress Shio?"

"Um sorry, once more. You want to _dress_ her?" Sakuya questioned.

"Well why not?" I said. "He tried to have us name her, right?"

"Hm. Fair enough."

"I've tried endless approaches, each a tragic failure." The Doctor continued. "She does not seem to be privy to my fashion sense."

"No, no, no! No more scratchy and coarse!" Shio complained.

"Well, to be fair sir, you don't exactly dress like a normal doctor." I pointed out, slightly snickering.

"Damn, savage…" I heard Kota whisper.

"Words hurt, Silver." Sakaki told me. "Anyway, lacking other operatives of note, I decided to seek help from the Branch' ladies."

"So why the hell did you summon _me?"_ Asks in an angry tone. "Damn you, old man!" Soma then turns around and walks out the door.

Kota follows Soma with his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna be next to useless. My style is unique, and Bugarally was getting good. Peace!" He holds two fingers up and follows Soma out the Lab.

"Ugh, stupid boys. Well, I'll see if I can dress her in something a little less… rags." Sakuya said.

"I'm gonna agree with Soma on this. I'm uh… what's the word… a guy?" I tell them, turning around ready to exit. Just then I feel my bandana being tugged on, holding me back. "Gai!"

"Not so fast, 'ladies man'." Alisa halted me. "Your gonna stay and be the judge of Shio's new outfit."

"Why do I have to be the one?!"

"Quit complaining. Your our captain, so you can handle something like this, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

Sakuya laughed at Alisa's jester as she let my bandana go. "C'mon Shio. Lets try some stuff!" she told the girl, sounding excited.

"What are we gonna try?" Shio asked, sharing Sakuya's excitement.

"You'll see. Doctor, we're gonna borrow this back room for a while. We'll find something she likes. Alisa, would you mind helping out?"

"Not at all." Alisa replied, following Shio and Sakuya into the back room; Shio's room.

After almost five minutes, it was relatively quiet in the room. I took a seat and let out a sigh. "Oi… women are scary…"

"Hmhm… yes. They certainly have their ways." Sakaki agreed with me.

"Hey Doc. Do you think we'll be able to introduce Shio to any of the other God Eaters, or at least Kanon.?"

"Hmm…I still cannot say. For now, lets keep things as is."

"OK. Anyway, Shio… really is something."

"Truly. I think the most interesting quality is her genetic makeup. She's so adaptable, so diverse! It might go along way in securing bright new future for humanity."

"So not only is she special… she's important. Y'know.. Soma was saying that Shio is a 'better human' than her."

"Really now? That's-

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from the room and moments later, the door to Shio's room bursts open and dust fills the air from inside it. Sakuya comes out od the room coughing heavily from the smoke, Alisa following from behind. "Sakuya! Are you OK?! What happened?"

"Well, um… Shi may have…" Alisa begins sheepishly

"Crashed through the wall and ran away…?" Sakuya finishes with a nervous smile.

Sakaki eyed the girls, and for the first time, Dr. Sakaki opened his eyes and let out a sigh. "Ah yes. A bright new future indeed."

"Oi… I sighed. That girl really _is_ something…" I sigh.

"I'd hate to pull you off any important missions, but I think it critical that you bring her back safe and.. now."

"Of course. I don't wanna think of what would happen if someone _else_ did…"

After ten minutes of inpatient waiting, Sakaki notified us that Shio had fled to the Tranquil Temple. Without hesitation, Soma, Kota and I hopped on the truck and hightailed it to the Temple. The girls had stayed behind to be sure nobody got suspicious. "There is a Seriel looming around the area. That might make things tricky…" The doctor told us. "As well as Cocoon Maidens. Regardless, I'm counting on you to bring her home safety."

"Of course. We have to…."

Soma POV- We all quickly leapt out of the armored vehicle to locate the Aragami girl, as per the old man and Captain's 'orders'.

"Hey! Shio!" Kota calls out. "Shio, where are you? I've got a treat for you! It'll be delicious! Come back . Please…?" I could see the sadness in his eyes; he really _was_ worried

"Come on. Lets keep looking." I propose. "What do you wanna do?"

"I think we should stick together incase we run into that Seriel." Silver suggests. I agreed; Seriel's are a pain to deal with alone.

After we made it at about the center of the area, the feminine Aragami showed itself. Without hesitation, Silver and I moved in for an assault. Its skirt made it difficult to do a lot of damage, even with _my_ God Arc, and it didn't help that the monster could fly. That would make things difficult indeed. Small balls of light appeared around it and the all launched at us. We managed to avoid them and stay close. We attempted to flee, seeing as the monster wasn't our target, but the monster quickly lowered to the ground and glided towards us faster than I could react.

"Dammit…" I curse. "These Aragami are becoming real nuisance. We'll have to take it down before we can focus on finding Shio."

The two other's nodded and put their focus into the fight at hand. "Alright. Kota and I will give you cover fire, Soma." Silver told me. "Knock it down, then I'll join you and we'll finish it off together."

"Hm. Got it." I nodded. I felt I could… trust his judgement. His battle plans usually turn out well. Kota and Silver open fired at the Aragami as I worked on trying to land attacks on it. It was a challenge, seeing how I was admittedly not as fast as Usugiri. His attacks were hard to read, but I got the hang of them as Kota made sure I was getting healed. It sunk to the ground quickly and glided past my towards the two gunners, which I hadn't expected. "Hey, watch out!" I warned as I sped to their aid. They signaled each other to leap backwards and continued to fire. Silver then quickly used his blade to slash a low spot on the monster, essentially tripping it and causing it to stumble. _Clever bastard…_

"Finish it off!" Silver shouted as he block the Seriel's skirt. We slash vigorously at the monster's exposed Oracle Cell's and in a matter of time, it cried a dying cry and stopped moving. "OK, we're all clear. Let's go find her. Let's split up. Soma, can you go check the inside of the Temple?"

I gave a nod and ran to said location. I entered the ruined building and gazed around for Shio. "Hey… are you in here Shio?" I asked out loud, as she could have been hiding."

"Nope! Not in here!" I heard her voice from what sounded like behind on of the broken statues.

Her desperation to not be found was… cute. "Alright, now, playtimes over. Lets go back to the Den."

"I don't wanna wear the scratchy thing!"

"Heh. Still an Aragami, just moving on instinct." I said to myself.

The girl poked out from behind the statue. "S-Soma…?" she had a sad look in her eyes.

"Hm?"

"Do you… hate me?" _What…?_ "You were really mad before…"

"No… it wasn't you…" Dammit, now I felt guilty.

"Soma, please be honest. I did something that's bad, didn't I? I don't wanna be scratchy to Soma…"

"Shio, I don't… hate you. And you didn't do anything. I'm… sorry I yelled."

"So… I didn't do something wrong?"

"Listen to you. Come so far…If I could only live for a minute like you. Forget myself and forget about everything, even for a moment… heh, I'd probably like it to much."

'"Um.. Soma?" I looked up to the girl who had a curious look on her face. "Do you taste good? I don't know if you do…"

"Hehe…" I… just laughed… out of joy for the first time in my life. I could feel myself smiling at what she just said… This is laughter. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" I playfully answered the girl. "Shio… _I_ was the one who was wrong. We are close; closer than I thought. Simlly by the virtue of being the only ones in the world like us."

"So Soma and I are the same!" Shio concluded.

"Only because we're stuck and lost."

"Hm! Then lets go find ourselves!" Shio shouted out as Shio pumped her fist in the air.

"Oh, come on with that."

It was getting a little mushy for my taste. Still… I noticed my face getting hot. I couldn't understand how in weather like this. The girl jumped down from her hiding place and stood at my side. As we began walking to get out of the building, I heard a familiar, annoying voice in the distance. "Shiiiooo! Come on out Shio!"

"Hey, where are you?"

"Hm… you know what, Shio?" I said realizing my Unit members circumstances. "It may be a vaccination to them, but the others; they have to pump themselves with Aragami Cells just to have the hope to survive. They're even more lost and afraid than we are."

"Yes… lost and scared. Like us. They _are_ like us. Our "friends"… I feel it."

"Maybe they are…" I wondered. "C'mon. Lets go home." As I notified the others that I had found Shio, I look to her and she tried to climb up on me. "Gah- hey, stop, it!" She gave up and together we walked back to the truck. Shio… she and I are the same. But then… can she really be called an Aragami? I can't say, but I _do_ know that Silver was right. I am human. And I'm glad that he's been there to help me see that. Friend… I had no clue what word meant… but now, I know that its someone you can trust to help you. Someone you can share your pain with. And I know that Silver is… my friend.

End of Chapter 19

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Author's Note- Hey, guesss what? I didn't wait a month and a half to upload the next chapter, yaaayy! Anyways, i think its timeni start writng some other stuff. Not saying that this story will be going away, I just wanna add a bit more variety to my page thingy.


	20. Chapter 20:Fighting Alone

God Eater and its characters are owned by Bandai Namco, and not me. Now, please enjoy this chapter and be sure to leave a review as it helps out a ton!

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GE Silver Chapter 20- Fighting Alone

Silver POV

"Aaannndd your done!" I shouted as I struck down one of two Kongou on my current mission. My squad consisting of myself, Sakuya, Alisa, and Soma had been sent out to destroy said Kongou and a Borg Camlann. I had paired up with Soma to destroy the Kongous, while Sakuya and Alisa distracted the scorpion.

"Not terrible!" Soma complimented as I start assisting him with his target.

"Oh, I'm just getting' started!" I replied with a smug tone. "Well that's… only partly true but still." Without hesitation, I block a blast of wind that shot out of the Kongous pipe on its back. It follows up by rolling at me like a ball surrounded by electricity, yet sidestep to the right and catch him with a Devour, halting it and staggering him. "Soma!" I shout as I leap backwards and fire a Transfer Shot.

"Hyaaaaagghhhh!" Soma screams as he builds up a massive Charge Crush while the monster's down, ands lets it loose, crushing the monster and felling it. "Good work. Lets meet up with the others." On the way to the central plaza where the girls were keeping thee Camlann busy, I notice Soma keeps eyeing my God Arc.

"Hey, is there something wrong with it?" I ask, fearing it may break again. I've been making sure to take care of it, though…

"Huh? Oh, no its just… that gun of yours seems pretty handy…." Soma clarifies with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Well you have things only _you're_ good at, too."

"Yeah, but its kinda weird being the only one in this team without one, y'know?"

"Hold that thought! There they are!" We had the Borg Camlann in our sights and its back was turned. I took the opportunity to get a good barrage of shots on the Aragami's tail. After two shots though, the bond on the tail breaks, and it quickly turns to me and lets out a roar.

"I think we managed to weaken it a bit." I hear Sakuya inform me from the comm. "He should go down before long!"

"Got it…" I replied as I readied to block an incoming charge from the monster, pointing itd tail straight at me. Seeing it makes me quiver slightly, but I shake it off and block its charge and parry it by pushing forward. I then go for a slash at the leg, yet I somehow went quite faster than I thought I would, enough that I cut it straight off and the Aragami starts to lose its balance.

"What the…" I hear Alisa react. "Captain, what… just happened? That was so quick!" I shrug my unintentional speed off and strike multiple times at the side of the monster until it faces my and attempts too impale me with its spikey tipped tail. I block the first hit, yet it jabs multiple times. Almost on instinct however, I dodge all of the attacks and stagger the monster off with a good flurry of my own strikes. We all opened fired at the monster, except Soma, with everything we've got and in no time, the beast was on its back.

As the Aragami was confirmed dead, Sakuya and Alisa stared in awe at me, which I found strange. "Wh-what?"

"Silver… that was incredible!" Sakuya praised.

"Where'd you learn to move so fast?" Alisa asked me, impressed.

"I've seen you move quickly, but today was something else." Soma added.

"Well I _have_ been spending some time in the training room…" I pondered. "I dunno, but mission complete!"

"Anyway, lets head home!" Alisa said. "Licca should be done with Shio's new clothes!" she sounded ecstatic. She rushed off to the chopper, with Soma following incase danger were to appear.

"Guys, wait up, c'mon!" I called out to them.

"Silver…" Sakuya addressed me before I started running. "I want to let you know how good of a job your doing. As a captain I mean."

"Thanks. It means a lot knowing that I'm doing good. I'm glad." I replied as we walked towards our helicopter.

"You should be. You've held-no.. you've brought this team closer together. Our teamwork is excellent now."

"I… don't know what to say… I enjoy having all of you as my team. You all have helped me piece my life together. After all that time travelling, I finally know what its like to _really_ have a life, with people who care about you always around. And now that I know what it feels like, I want to do what I can to give as many people that feeling as possible."

"Silver… hmhm… so you found your reason for fighting… protecting people so they have a chance to feel happiness."

"Yep. That's the gist. It's a pretty corny reason, I know."

"I don't think that at all. It's a great reason to live." Within minutes, Sakuya and I reached our ride and met up with Soma and Alisa. As we flew towards home, I come to realize how far this team has come. Seeing what they've done for themselves and how they've overcome their problems makes me realize how much they mean to me, seeing as they've been there for me and helped me grow. It got me thinking-

"Hey guys." I said to get everyone's attention. "Do you guys think we could take down an Ouroboros?"

Everyone seemed shocked at my question. "Huh? What brought _that_ on?" Alisa asked me, still caught off guard.

"Well, our coordination as a team has gotten so good, and I remember Lindow saying once that he thought we'd be able to soon."

"Hm. I don't doubt we could." Soma cockily replies. "Still… lets not deliberately looking for one."

"Agreed." Sakuya adds. We made it back to the Den, where Sakuya and Alisa immediately headed to the Doctors Lab when we received Shio's new clothing. We had asked Licca for assistance, being out of options. She was happy to help, but this made her an accomplice. Lucky for us, she was good at keeping secrets. Anyway, while Sakuya and Alisa helped Shio with her outfit, us guys were asked-and by asked I mean forced- to wait outside the Lab. We had finally gotten an OK from Sakaki to enter the lab.

Everybody was gathered together in the room when Sakuya came out Shio's room. "Alright, come on out, Shio!"

Shio nervously emerges from her room, looking almost completely different. She now wore a two piece dress, rather than the rags she had before. The top piece was a sleeveless shirt with green stitching around the shoulders and down the stomach. The small shirt opened near her waist, similar to Kota's, and was adorned with a lime green flower. She now wore a pair of white shorts under a long white skirt with green frills .Also, the back of her top was tied in a bow that made her appear to have angels wings. As weird as it is to say, she did now look kind of like an angel.

Everyone stared in aww as the Shio sheepishly stood before us. "Oh my god!" Alisa squealed. "Its like… the cutest thing I've ever seen ever!"

"Shio…" I said quietly with a smile on my face.

"Heh, I thought so!" Sakuya chimed in. "She looks just like a little girl, huh?"

Shio perked up and look was overjoyed to hear everyone's praise. "Do I?..." she wonders. She then starts laughing with utter glee. I can't help but give a wide smile seeing Shio overjoyed like this. I don't think I've ever seen her happier.

"That's really somethin' special." Kota says. "Looks amazing, right Soma?"

Soma looked slightly embarrassed, but gives a smirk anyway. "You know… it _is_ cute." He proudly answers.

"HUH? Honesty from _Soma?_ Are you… doin OK?"

"Tch. Oh please, look at your buddy over there grinning ear to ear." Soma retaliated, not angrily might I add. Obviously, he referred to me.

"Aww c'mon guys, look how happy she is." I whisper to the two. "Get along for once."

"I feel… really happy!" Shio tells us, swaying left and right. She then locks her hands together, closes her eyes, and begins to… sing?

Her melody… I can't say I've ever heard of it before, but there was something about it. Upon hearing the Aragami girl sing, I can't help but feel sad, despite how joyful she was. I peek over and Soma lets out a silent gasp, as if he knew it. Her voice, matching her new appearance, sounded angelic. Everybody watched in aww once more as the little girl's song came to an end.

"Hehe! Have you ever heard that before?" Shio asks us all. "Its called a song. Its pretty."

"Shio, that was incredible!" Sakuya praises.

"Was it.. a good job?"

"Absolutely." I say, patting her head. "It was…amazing."

The girl giggles gleefully, happy to be praised. "I did a good job! And now… I can't stop smiling!"

 _And_ I _can't stop wanting to tear up._

"Where did you learn that? It was so beautiful." Sakuya asks her.

"I heard it together with Soma!"

"WHAA?" Kota and I exclaim in unison.

"Well then.. my, my, my, Soma…" Sakuya teases the poor guy.

"You heard it 'together', huh?" Alisa adds with a sly smirk.

"That's… I just…" Soma flustered as he looked away from everyone.

"When did you two find time to get all buddy-buddy, eh, buddy?" Kota continues.

I could see Soma's face was beat red. "Dammit… stupid 'song'… cant believe this…" He curses under his breath. This must be too much for him, so I decided to help him out.

"Hey, let the guy be." I say to the group with a laugh. We all can't help but share the laugh as Soma turns further away from all of us. After a little bit, everybody apologizes to Soma for poking fun at him, and they all take their leave after Shio decided to take a nap and before long, only Soma, Sakuya , and I remained.

"Did you guys see how happy she is?" I ask them.

"Yeah." Sakuya answers. "Funny. I don't think anyone would believe her if we told them she was an Aragami."

"So, do you _plan_ on telling anyone?" Soma inquires.

"Of course not! Anyway… I'm happy for her. And she rewarded us with that song."

"Yeah. See, Sakuya? Those are the smiles I want to help bring back to this world."

"Hmm… the feeling enjoying the simple things in life." Soma said. "I wish I knew what that was like…"

"Its really not that hard…" After a few moments of silent pondering, Sakuya decides to leave the room, leaving just Soma and I. "Hey, Soma." I address him. "Where did you here that song."

"What's it matter?" he asks. "I thought you guys were done poking fun of me?"

"Nobody meant to hurt you… Anyway, it just got me thinking. With everything that's been taken away from humanity, there's something that the Aragami can't steal from us."

"And that is...?"

"What else? Song."

"Lindow always told me that music is something special, but I never thought anything of it."

"He hummed a song on the way to a mission once. He couldn't remember what it was called though. Shio's song though… it reminds me of that."

"Look, it was pretty and all, but I don't see what makes music special."

"Hey, music can be a powerful thing. It can affect real change."

"If you say so." Soma sighed as he headed out the lab door. As he did, Sakaki passed right by him and entered the room.

"I take it you've all seen Shio's new outfit?" the Doctor asks me. "It sounds like Licca has truly outdone herself! Of course, you did your fair share of helping also." Sakaki reminded me.

"Yeah, but Licca was good enough to go out of her way for this. Now you _should've_ heard her sing!" I told the doctor.

"Shio did _what?"_ the professor sounded overjoyed. "Fascinating! Perhaps she will allow me to hear… oh yes, young Silver." His voice took a serious tone as faced me.

I can't help but notice that Dr. Sakaki always calls me 'young Silver'… "Yes doctor?"

"Director Schicksal has returned. He wishes to see you…"

The Director had returned… I wonder when he got back? Anyway, I headed up to Director Schicksal's office, feeling quite nervous. Its something I can never shake when seeing the Director, despite all the good things he has to say about me. Maybe it's a certain atmosphere he has. I can't describe it. Anyway, ii step into Director's office and see the man gazing up close at a painting near his desk.

"Director Schicksal!" I addressed him. "I'm glad to see you made it back safely."

"Ah, Unit Leader Usugiri." He says as he turns to me. "Good to see you again."

"How did your travels go?"

"Uneventful, sadly. But believe it or not, I continued to hear much of your accomplishments whilst in Europe on business."

"Its been difficult, but I feel like I've helped myself and my Unit members." I reply slightly skittishly, trying to maintain a formal tone.

"Good. I am proud to see that you have been living up to my expectations. As the Far East Director, I give my gracious thanks. Now, please forgive my lack of formality, but I'm pressed for time, so I'll get right to it."

"I'm all ears, sir."

"Right. Now, I summoned you to continue our conversation from before I left."

"About my 'special tasks'?"

"Correct. These operations will be varied in nature, their objectives will run the gamut, but they share one rule… They are to be referred to under _my_ direct supervision. You will report to no one but me."

That sounded a bit strange but, OK. "Yes sir." I nodded, waiting for his to continue.

"Needless to say, the goes for any materiel and rewards you may receive during these missions as well. And these missions operate under a strict confidential standard. Due to their sensitive nature, they will be performed most often alone."

Hearing this, I let out a gasp. "Huh? So I won't have a team most of the time?"

"Yes… only rarely will you require one."

"Oh…"

"But in return for you service, I'll gladly provide you with approximate monetary value of the rare items you collect."

"And you believe I'm capable of handling such missions on my own?"

"Hmhm… I know you, Silver. You are a strong and resourceful God Eater, strong and brave enough to accomplish anything you intend to. I wouldn't trust you otherwise." So in other words… am I just doing his dirty work…? "Each mission is a direct mark of my faith. Lindow…" There he goes again… comparing me to Lindow.

"He was a great person. A great mentor, gave good advice, and always took time to enjoy the little things in life." I butt in without regret.

"Yes… he served me well in the same capacity I'm trusting you with. He was an extraordinary warrior, and a good man. Losing him was a devastating blow. Not just to you and your allies, but to me as well."

"Yeah… every day I regret not being able to save him." _But I don't regret living._

"I understand. But, I was fortunate to find _you._ A God Eater with the potential to be as strong as, maybe stronger, than he."

 _Stop comparing me to him!_ "That may be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?" I say with a slight, fake laugh.

"Not at all. Anyway, I will depend on your assistance and discretion. Now… for your first assignment…"

"Yes sir!"

"Ever hear of an Ouroboros?" The Director asked me with a smile.

I gasp hearing the name of that Aragami. Was I being sent to kill one? "Y-yeah, I've heard of it. My team and I were actually discussing it."

"As large as a mountain! Each breath a tornado! Well… that's sort of an exaggeration. Nevertheless, you target today is the core. I _know_ you can do this, Captain Usugiri."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I was being sent _alone_ to exterminate on of the largest Aragami known to man. One that not many come back alive from. I can't stop trembling but… I have to do this! "Then I won't disappoint you!"

"Excellent…" With that, he dismisses me and I head out to prepare for this secret assignment. Upon exiting, I see Soma leaning against the wall, as if he was waiting for me.

"Soma…" I address him

"So he finally summoned you too…" Soma presumed.

"Yeah. I guess my hard work is paying off?" I assume, trying not to sound cocky.

Soma lets out a sigh. "Look… I'll admit, you really have come a long way since you first arrive."

Soma's comment took me be surprise, and it honestly left me flustered. "Th-thanks. I couldn't-

"But I will only say this once!" Soma interrupts with a very stern tone. "I don't know what he said in there, but do _not_ trust him. He pulls strings like you can't even imagine."

Somehow, I wasn't surprised. Something back there did seem off about him, but still… "He's your father isn't he?"

"And?!"

I suddenly remembered; The Director- Johannes wanted almost nothing to do with Soma. Not after… Aisha… "I'll be careful."

Soma stands up straight and turns to the elevator. "He'll get inside your head. Don't let him."

I go ahead and follow Soma in the section elevator until he got off in the Veteran's Section. I decided not to bring my sword, as I'd need less dragging me down. After Soma left, I take deep breaths to try and calm myself, constantly reminding myself that I'd be fighting alone. I speak with Hibari and receive an ear piece for the mission. After stocking whatever Pills and Ampules I may need, I begin my flight over to the Wailing Plains, where my target dwelled.

Director's Office-

"It must be so easy."

"I do not know what you mean." Johannes replies to the person behind him.

"All you have to do is mention Lindow, and bam, he'll do whatever you ask."

"Ah. Of course; he looked up to Lindow. If I tell him he's like him, it will give him confidence. That confidence leads to him wanting more, and in turn doing for me."

"So you make him think he's doing you favors, when really, he's blindly following orders. Besides, why did you send him alone if you think he's so valuable?"

"You should learn to be quiet! Anyway, how goes the search for the Singularity?"

"Uneventful. By the way, Daigo wished to speak with you."

"Good. I was waiting for him to…"

Wailing Plains-

"I guess its just me and the Aragami today…" I sighed. I'm terrified… I wonder if I can make ot home from this. But… I realize that I _have_ to. Or Kanon and Shio will be upset.

"Don't forget, I'm here for you, too!" Hibari reminds me over the comm.

"Oops, how could I forget? Ok then. I'm counting on you today!" I tell Hibari in a serious tone."

"R-right!" Remembering that I at least have a voice to talk to makes me feel ready; come whatever. I jump down from the cliff I was dropped off at and begin my search for the Ouroboros. Given its size, it shouldn't be hard to find. And right I was. As I turned a corner, I'm caught off guard to see a massive Aragami with countless eyes and four large legs that looked like black tree roots. Its back looked as if covered by moss, resembling that of a mountain. I have no time to strategize, as the beasts gets his many eyes on me and charges towards me. Thinking fast, I slam down a trap, but as the monster steps on it, it doesn't become paralyzed.

"Huh? That didn't work?!" I shout.

"It must be immune to traps! Sorry, I didn't know…" Hibari tells me. Suddenly, Ouroboros stops and splits its legs into multiple tentacles and drives them into the ground. What seem to be spikes of ice start quickly rising from the ground, likely the tips of the tentacles. "Silver, shield your eyes!" I hesitate fail to do as she says, and a bright flash whites out my vision. As I rub my eyes to try and be able to see again, I get my slight back after a moment. I look backwards, however to find myself being slammed by a large leg in the stomach so hard I go flying. As I feel a large pain in my front, my back gets hit as well as I slam into a wall.

"Oww…" I groan. I cough once and spit up a small puddle of blood.

"Silver!" Hibari cried. "Are you OK? Do we need to pull you out?" From the looks of it, the Aragami lost its interest in me and walked away as I continued to sit against the wall I was flung into.

"Heh… fighting alone is harder than I thought… hey Hibari…" I say, gasping air. "I bet if Lindow were here, all he'd have to do in this situation is laugh it in the face and puff a smoke."

"You are _not_ Lindow! Stop-

"I know. I'm not trying to be him. I can't. But I know I can kill this abomination now that I've gotten a feel for him." I pick myself up and swallow a Restore Pill. _So I know some of his attacks now… I think I've got an idea…_

I track down the monster and fire a Freeze Bomb to get its attention. As it turns to me, I strafe backwards and continue to bomb his face. As I run out of Oracle, that's my cue to throw a flash grenade as he charges at me. I close in, shielding my eyes for the flash, and the monster stops to recover. Ii jump up and slash its face several times. The Ouroboros flinches once, but my strike don't seem to inflict a whole lot of damage.

As I land on the ground, I leap up above the beast as he attempts a swipe with his leg. I use a quick, downward Devour and safely land on the ground, then back-leapt while firing the Aragami Bullet I gained.

"That didn't do much either…" Hibari noted. The massive monster once again charges at me and drives its tentacles into the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" I shout as I slash at one of the tentacles. "Huh?!" the tentacle retracted itself and the monster looks hurt.

"Ah! Of course, the tentacles!" I have no time to rejoice as the monster becomes enraged and attemptss to ram me with the demon-like horns beside its face.

"Gyaah!" I cry as I'm hit by the attack and flung upward. I've just about had it with this abomination… I fiercely look down at it and force all my weight down as I ready to slam the Pickaxe tip of my God Arc into its face. As I make contact with it and pierce the monsters face, I stare it down in the eyes, laughing almost evilly. I force my blade out of it and back up. Out of the blue, a massive laser beam shoots out from the monsters face, and tries to sweep me with it. I hide behind my shield and prepare to once more for when it came the other way until I decided: "No… NO MORE HIDING!"

I rush towards the monster at an incredible speed. As the monster tries to sweep me again, I flip to the side over the beam and continue my assault as I let out a vicious battle cry. _Johannes is counting on me!_ I reminded myself as I rushed past the Aragami's leg as I slashed it. It looses its balance and falls over, but manages to stick its tentacles in the ground yet again. The blue spikes again drill in and out of the ground, and while I attempted to dodge them, I'm grazed by two of them. One only scratched my leg as I side stepped, but the other manages to gush into my left arm between my wrist and elbow. I cry in pain, but shake it off, as I still had an Aragami to fight.

"Silver! Don't you dare keep fighting! Fall back and recover, now!" Hibari demanded. I hadn't meant to worry her… as I had the monster down, I took a second to close my wound with my bandana as I sat against a wall "Can you keep going…?"

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I got a little crazy…" I admitted as I saw the Aragami get up. "But I need too do this. I guess this is the part where I say something about not giving up, and sound like a badass?"

Hibari couldn't help but give me a chuckle. "Oh you…Ok… Go for it Silver!" Hibari's laugh…it sounded cute. Feeling determined, I steadily begin jogging to the massive Aragami. As I speed up into a quick run, the Ouroboros tries to slap me with its left leg, which i slash out of the way. The mountain-beast flinches in pain as I run towards it, readying the final strike. I leap up above the face, and as the monster tries to hit my in mid air, I look him in the eye and drop a stun grenade straight down to his face. A blinding light fills the area as I blindly jab my entire God Arc blade into its face. Still unable to see, I force my 0qArc downward, creating a large cut from the beast's face to the top of his torso. Thrusting back in at the bottom, I scream at thee top of my lungs as i run straight down its stomach as it spews gallons of blood onto my body until I hit the ground. As the Aragami falls, I pry its stomach open with the face of my God Arc, revealing the core.

"You're mine!" I cry as I trigger one last Devour, tearing the core from the monsters body. "You… ah …ahh… won't be needing this…" I feel myself chuckle as I try to catch my breath and fall on the ground on my back.

"Oh my god, are you OK?" Hibari frantically asks me. "Do I need to send medical team to help?!"

"Nah… Lemme just… lay here…for a bit

"Silver. You just destroyed an Ouroboros. Single handedly."

"I did… didn't I… Nnnhhh" I groan in hunger. "I need to eat something…"

"Well…I have an extra desert ration i could share… to… um… celebrate your victory."

"No… our victory. You kept me alive. Hibari… thank you…"

After a few minutes I pick myself and drag myself to the chopper pickup-point. My body was blanketed in Aragami blood, nothing new, bit the rain that fell softly washed most of it away. After a painful walk, I finally made it back to the helicopter and was able to rest easy on the way back home. I clutched the wound I had on my arm, still keeping it covered. I can hardly believe I was asked to kill a monster so deadly.

When I arrived back home, Kota was waiting for me where the chopper landed. As soon as it did, he frantically jumped on it with tears in his eyes. "Silver! What the hell?!" Kota gave me a hand off the bird and put my arm around him as he helped me too the Gate. "You… almost died…"

"I know. I didn't mean to. There's no excuse."

Kota looks at me and gives me a smile. "Man, I'm so glad we didn't try to go after one of those when we first got here!"

"I'll say. There even scarier up close."

"We all saw your fight! Dude, you were so awesome! Where the hell did you learn to move so fast?"

All I can manage is a laugh, as I don't have much strength to even speak. As we got inside the lobby, I was greeted with many faces all clapping and cheering me and praising me by name.

"Dude, that was amazing!" Tatsumi called out. "So awesome!"

"A damn Ouroboros. You're somethin' else, Silver." Brenden added.

My unit as well as the Third also clapped for me and patted me on the back… which hurt. Despite all these people… Kanon was nowhere to be seen. "Tatsumi… where is she...?"

"She went to her room after the fight ended. She couldn't bare to watch you like that, I think." He replies.

As I received much more praise, I was walked to the elevator and taken to the infirmary too get my wounds check out. Again, Kota helped me. "Hey… first time seein' you without your bandana." He observed, noting that it was on my arm. "You're bro gave it to you, right?"

"Yeah…" I replied, sort of lost in thought. I enter the ER and am rushed seated onto a bed and forced to take my shirt off. It was painful to do so; I had a bruise across my stomached, and my back was scraped. As I took my bandana off my arm, it starts oozing blood from the gash. The doctors start applying ointments and medicine to my wounds as patching them wrapping them in bandages. I begin to think of how my rashness almost cost me my life until… she came in…

Aegis Island-

"Dr. Oguruma. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Director Schicksal asked the man.

"I needed to make sure; I gave up my career and life for the sake of what you asked. I hope I have earned the right to come aboard?"

"Of course…" The Director's thoughts trailed. "The Devouring Apocalypse…"

"So if I have this right, Aragami will eat each other until a single one is left, and it will reset the planet Earth?"

"Yes. The world will begin with a clean slate where no Aragami or humans exist."

"And when is said and done, we come down and rebuild the planet? And when do you suppose this 'Apocalypse' will happen?"

"Hah! Predict!" Light suddenly turned on and Oguruma was awestruck. "We're going to _make it_ happened!"

"What is-" Behind him, he heard the sound of a blade being drawn at his neck.

"Hmhm… I'm not through with you…"

End of Chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21: Not Alone

Silver POV

She stood there for a moment breathing heavily as the nurse started patching my wounds. I smiled at her, showing I was glad to get to see her. She however, looked angry.

"Miss Kanon", one of the nurses addressed her. "We're still treating his wounds. Can you come back another time?"

"Actually… ma'am?" I butt in. "If its OK, can I let her treat me? I'd like to be alone with her."

"Hmhm… are you sure?"

"Don't worry. She knows what she's doing." The nurse gave me a polite bow and left Kanon and I in the infirmary alone. I smile at her again, but she storms over to a cabnit and pulls out some medical supplies in a growl. Something told me I should have been scared…Kanon carelessly applies alcohol to a cotton ball and starts dabbing it on my back so hard it was more like hammering. "Gyah, what the hell, Kanon?" I loudly question.

"No! What the hell YOU?!" she finally spoke to me. "What were you thinking?"

"What did I even do?!"

"You almost died!" Kanon screams. "You were planning on coming back alive, right?!"

"O-of course! I'm not gonna die on my first mission given to me by the Director himself!"

"Hmph… 'the Director'. Think you're all high and mighty now because you get a special assignment?"

"Wha-no… I don't think that at all… Kanon… I didn't mean to worry you."

"Silver… ever since you became a captain, you let it go to your head."

"Thats not true!" I denied. Kanon began wrapping bandages around my chest. "Hey, not so tight."

"Are you kidding me?! You used this to cover a wound?" Kanon yelled, referring to my bandana.

"I know… your mom made that. I didn't want to, but I would have lost a lot more blood…"

Kanon lets out a sigh to try and calm herself.

"Honestly... What are we gonna do with you…?"

"Seriously what did I do wrong?!" I demand. "I went out. Killed an Aragami. Got a little hurt LIKE I ALWAYS DO!"

"Not like this though!" She retaliated. "You're usually careful to a degree. But today, you were completely stupid!"

"I've always been stupid!" I bit back, putting myself down.

"Stop freaking saying that!" She had stopped wrapping the bandages. "You were just trying to be cool! Even though you keep saying 'I'm not Lindow, I'm not Lindow'! But there you are, trying to go one-on-one with a mountain sized Aragami!"

"BECAUSE ITS MY JOB! And yours, too! You've been here longer than me, you should know!"

"You really are stupid..." she growls. Kanon said nothing were quite for a time, and it wasn't a pleasent quiet. She finally got done wrapping the part of my arm that one of the Ouroboros spike jabbed. My Bias Factor would accelerate my healing, but I'd probably be out for tomorrow.

"Do you need help getting back to your room?" Kanon asks me as I slightly struggle to stand up.

"I'll be fine." I lied. "I'm uh.. just hungry is all!" I didn't want too worry here, but I felt guilty, and knew Kanon could tell I was lying.

"Don't lie to me…" Kanon hisses with a sad expression.

I insist I can get back and she leaves in a huff. She took my headband away to get it washed, which sort of made me feel like I was missing a piece of myself. "Stupid...?" I thought outloud. "What am I doing wrong...?" As I walked out of the lift as I was in deep thought into the Veteran section, I wince in pain as I collapse to my knees, clutching where I was hurt. "Ow... maybe I should have asked for help..."

Next day- Directors office-

My wounds had almost completely healed and I felt much better. I had a hard time getting to sleep however as the pain was little much. I managed to fight it and now I'm back on my feet with no problems before the Director.

"My, my. You are certainly full of surprises, Silver." The director complimented me.

If your surprised, then does that mean you expected me to die? "It was… difficult, but I did what you asked, sir." I politely replied reluctantly. I was beginning to think Soma was right.

"Very good. I, for one, am glad to see you back safe. The core will greatly assist in the construction of the Aegis project."

Director Schicksal kept things brief. He did his usual complementing and unnecessary praising, told me he expects 'great things' from me. Before he dismissed me… something about that smile he wore seemed… off.

With that, I went ahead to apply for my next mission. On the way there, I heard Major Amamiya's voice on the PA. "All available First Unit members, report to the lobby imediately." She said with utmost urgency. Wasting no time, I pick up my pace and hurry to the lobby. As it just so happened, my whole Unit eventually gathered in the elevator before arriving to the entrance.

"Wonder what this is about?" Kota asked the group with a serious tone. "It sounded urgent…"

"You know as much as we do." Alisa pointed out while she played with a lock of her hair. She always did that when she was nervous.

We scurried out the lift where Tsubaki stood in wait. "Perfect. Thank you all for gathering on such notice." She told us.

"Whats this about?" Soma bluntly asked.

"Today your target is a Privthi Mata. Also known by some as the 'Ice Vajra'."

Alisa let out a gasp as a look of fear took over her face. She calmed herself though when Sakuya place her hand on Alisa's shoulder.

"That Aragami is…" I started.

"Yes. The one you encountered the herd of when Lindow went MIA. It has been giving out peculiar readings as of late. We confirmed that these strange signals… they match Lindow's Armlet."

"Huh? Does that mean we found him?!" Kota asked hopefully.

"It could be some kind of mistake, but there is a good chancee you'll be facing Lindow's killer."

So she's able to accept what happened. That's good.

"Do you… think we'll be able to kill it?" I asked.

My teammates all gave my strange looks.

"That's not like you Silver." Sakuya said.

"There's no denying it'll be a grueling fight. But after running a number of scenario's, we've determined you can pull it off. You know what needs to be done?"

"Yeah. Guys." I said to get everyones attention. "If we fighting this beast… we can't do it with thoughts of revenge."

"I know… we've got to be careful." Kota replied with a hint of guilt.

"Sakuya… are you going to be able to focus?"

"Y- yes!" She hesitated. "We'll be OK, right Alisa?"

"Absolutely!" Alisa added. "Thanks to you guys… I will no longer let my fears comtrol me!"

"Good to hear. Soma, what about you?" I asked.

"What is it that you want me to say?" He inquired with a slight laugh.

I nodded and gaze at my entire team with a smile. "Ok, then. Lets load up and move out."

Everyone scatters to prep for the extermination mission while I do the same. I get lost in thought about what went down yesterday after I came home. "Is she still mad?" I wondered out loud to myself. I considered popping in to see Kanon, but something told me she wouldn't want to see me. Suddenly I heard voices calling my name

"Yo! Den to Silver? Can ya hear me?!" Kota loudly asks as I snap out of my thoughts.

"Wha-?!" I looked behind me and saw the group staring at me in wait. "Oh, you all good to go?"

"Never mind us." Sakuya said in her kind sisterly tone. "What about YOU? Something on your mind?"

"Nah, its nothing. Yesterday wore me out a bit is all." I lied. "I'm all set."

The flight to the mission area was quiet with some tension in the air. Not only would this Aragami be a difficult one to kill, but it would also determine whether our former leader was alive or not. But for me, even if we dont get the truth here, I don't think he made it. If anyone said I'm just giving up on him, I'd probably deserve it. But I don't want to take what everyone hopes for away from them with my sorry thinking. "5 minutes to mission area." I announced. "Get ready, everyone."

Ancient Temple Outskirts- ? POV

"Stop! I command you!" I attempted to command the Dyaus Pita, but it isn't obeying this side of me... "Obey me dammit!" I have to stop it before it reaches the temple. I have to find Lindow, but I'm afraid it may be too late...

It was no use, the beast kept running with no interest in me, not that I had the strength to stop it. "Gyah!" I cried as I felt my head throb, as if something was trying to break out. "Why not allow me to tame him?" I heard a voice in my head

"No... you wont... use me for this!"

"You think you can do something about it? Hurry up and unleash me! You do know right? That i can kill it in an instant!"

"But you WON'T!" I bit back. 'I have to stop it before it finds Silver!'

Silver POV-

Once again in the biting cold ruins, fitting for a monster such as our target. After hopping down from the drop off and seeking it, Kota must have seen how distraught I was. "Silver, you sure your OK?" Kota asked for assurence.

"Hm?" I snapped out if thought. "Yes. I am." I firmly responded. I had to be if I was about to lead a charge on one of these crazy Vajra's. "Hibari, are you able to get a reading on the Aragami's location?"

"Its there, but the weather is making it hard to pinpoint." She informed us. "But it looks to be somewhere in the northern section, near the shrine."

"Got it. Lets track it down carefully." I commanded. "Keep me posted, please Hibari."

"I-rry, wha- at?" I heard in a staticy voice.

"Agh... whether must be screewing with the signal." I flicked the ear piece i wore.

"Yo-bably righ-. I'll cont-gain" i managed to make out what she said.

"Yep. Begininng radio silence." I turn off my comm and turn to the group.

"Guess splitting up is out of the question." Kota sighed.

"Looks to be the case. Guess we'll have to stay close and be extra careful." I gave a signal and we hopped off the wooden platform. We trekked around the snowwy area in a sort of 'Z' formation, with me up front, Soma beside me, Alisa behind us, and Kota and Sakuya in the back.

"Hm... we have an extra person this time around..." Alisa pondered. "But that may make it harder to stay coordinated.

"Well then we can split into a group into a group of 2 and 3, then we can just 'happen' to be fighting the same enemy!" Kota suggested

"We'll still be in each others way!"

"Can't you two stop for once?" I stepped in, halting the group. "We'll work something out." Suddenly, I heard footsteps around the corner of the staircase. I signaled everyone to lean against the wall. Sure enough, the all too familiar Ice-like Aragami came up from the stairs and continued wandering forward. "Disguise Scents, everyone. Sakuya, a sniper field please."

"Roger." She replied as she activates a sniper field and everyone else takes a Disguise Scent pill, except me.

"Wait why didn't you-" Kota begins before I dash towards the Aragami and we engage each other. After letting out a roar as I charge it, it attempts to pounce me similar to a normal Vajra would. I quickly slip underneath it and try slashing its stomache, but I end up missing and almost stumbling.

Upon getting on my feet, I see icsicles forming from the air and shooting towards me. I pop my shield open to blocl them, but it kept pressuring me and i slipped on a spot of solid ice. I look up to see the a giant snow cat juming towards me and suddenly a flash blinds me, followed by what seems to be an arm grabbing around my stomache.

"Ugh..." I grown as I rub my eyes after Sakuya and the gang get us to safety.

"And just what the hell ws THAT supposed to be?" Sakuya demands

"What, think you can just brush us off cuz you killed a big bad Oburobus?" Kota adds.

"Ouroboros..." Soma corrected quietly.

"Hey, I was just trying to learn what it does and have you guys catch off guard!"

"WAS that the plan? I didn't hear anything about that." Sakuya sarcastically responds.

"Captain, when we have a battle to fight, I expect you to start and finish it with us by your side." Alisa reminds me.

"I know..." I respond in guilt.

"Your suppose to LEAD us, not do everything FOR us!"

"I know!" I repeat. "And what if I fail?! I'm suppose to be responsible for all of you, but look at my track record!" I had actually just snapped... and the team seemed more than surprised. "If I'm not strong enough to protect you all-

"Then you don't have to be." Sakuya tells me in that loving sisterly voice. "We are touched that you care so much for us. But let us be some of that strength that you need."

"Yeah! After all, we are a team!" Kota chimes in.

"Ah!" I gasp and remember what he said

[I] "Listen. I want you to be someone i KNOW has my back."

"Sorry guys...I was caught up in trying to have your backs I that I forgot the most important thing: Knowing that you all have mine."

"Sounds like trusting other's is still hard for you." Sakuya says.

"I guess I just needed to figure it out. First off, I'll start letting you help when I really need it."

"And we always will." Alisa assured me, which made me feel much better. "Right Soma?"

"Hm. Sure..." Soma simply added.

"Thanks for that." I sincerely told everyone. We all became alert however when we heard a roar and running footstepd of the Privthi Mata coming our way. "Here it comes... lets finish this the way we should have started it: As a team!"

We made our way to between the top and the bottom of two staircases leading up to the broken down temple area which was a little small, but almost perfect for an ambush. So I had a perfect idea.

"Are you OK with that?" I asked Soma

"I'm a fast runner. Let me do it." He responded confidently.

"Thanks." Meanwhile, the readings on the map became clearer and the Aragami seemed to have given up on us for now, and was wandering around the northern temple building. While Soma headed up there, the four of us would split up in two's and position ourselves to each side of the bottom of the stairs, out of sight.

Sakuya and I had positioned ourselves at the lower set of stairs, and Kota and Alisa at the upper. While waiting, comms had started working again and we could signal each other. "Everyone all set?"

"Yeah." Kota responded. "This is totally gonna work! He wont have any room to move around!"

"Kota's right. Thats one of the advantages of us small humans!" Alisa agrees.

As we got ourselves ready for the four-way pincher ambush, I felt the need to tell Sakuya something. "Sakuya..." I started, to which she cocked her head towards me in response. "This Aragami... I don't think its the one we're-

"You think we didn't think that?" She buts in. "Just because you dont talk about things doesnt mean we don't know whats going on."

"So everyone was thinking the same thing?"

"Yeah we discussed it for a moment while you were getting ready-"

"The target has me in its sight!" Soma said loudly over comm. "I'm headed towards the stairs!"

"It has to be the black one..." she finished

I waited patiently, waiting for Soma to show up. Upon glancing at the map, he and Mata had passed Alisa and Kota in hiding. Before long he showed up, and as soon as he signaled us, Sakiya and I jump from the sides of the stairs and open fire one the Privthi Mata with everything we've got. "Now you two!" I shout as the snowwy Vajra tried to turn tail and run. Before reaching the top, Kota and Alisa appear from up top guns ablazing. Now caught in a triad of gunfire, I switch to my Pickaxe and join Soma to try and get a few melee hits in.

We tried slashing its legs, but they were noticibly stronger than a Vajra's. "Damn... that's some thick skin..." Soma grunts.

"We have to find a way to power through it!" I shout back while dodging some icicles again. "Otherwise we'll never take down Pita." I mount my feet and start shielding the spikes, but i find myself being pushed back. "Dammit i can't get close enough to Devour... " I say to myself as I try to think of a plan. If only I could slap the projectiles and destroy them... The monster let nout a roar as a ferocious icy wind swirls rapidly around it. I try to fight the pain as small shreds of ice hit my face.

"Captain! Ammo's gone!" Alisa shouts.

"Switch with me then!" I responded, as i had more than enough ammo to spare. I leap backwards, she dashes past me continuing where I left off. Suddenly, it begins to roar again, though the icy wind was slower to start up. "Guys! Hit the left leg at the same time!"

"Got it! One!" Soma began

"Two" Alisa continued

"Three!" They both finished and slashed the monsters leg as hard as they could.

Alisa charges up a Devour and chomps the fallen beast. "Switch again!" Alisa leaps backwards and Transfer Shoots me while allowing me get a bite in..

"Deee-Vour!" I yell as I bite the Aragami extra hard. As he began to get up, Soma lept upcto its face and slammed a Charge Crush down on its face. As it dropped a little, seeming to finally give up, Alisa flip-slashed its face. As Gunfire from Kota and Sakuya keeps it at bay, I jump above its face and jab right into the crack Soma and Alisa left me. To seal the deal, I twist my God Arc a kick off of the face of the now fallen Privthi Mata, its blood begining to dye the snow red.

I begin panting after the monster finally dies. I honestly feel like collapsing in exhaustion, but i had to search the monster corpse. "Well... here goes..." I sighed, preparing for the worst. I used Devour to dig around inside the body, but didn't seem to find anything.

"Any luck...?" Kota asked.

"No. I knew it... this isn't the one."

"Lindow..." Sakuya said to herself as she turned away to hide tears. "This means he could still be out there somewhere!"

"...Sakuya I- GYAH!" I screamed as I was interupted by a familiar burning sensation on my face. It still hurt like hell.

"A monsterous Oracle Response is rapidly approaching! You all have to retreat now!" Hibari shouted.

From below, we look up to a ridge where the so called 'Black Emperor' approached. We looked calmly back at it as it stared us down.

"This is bad, we have to get him out of here!" Kota told the group, refering to me.

"Can you stand?" Alisa asked in haste, and so I did, fighting the pain.

"Heh... don't worry." I said with a pained laughas I forced myself to look up, speaking to the monster, not my team. "We're not ready yet, but mark my words: Whe the time comes calling, you WILL get yours! No matter how much this scar burns, I swear it!" I shout at the monster. Ot jerks its head and turns its back on us, and we simply let it leave. "You've helped take enough lives away. Am I right... Kaiden...?" Before long, the pain eased away.

? POV-

I just barely managed to stop this monster from harming them... but will I be able to next time? It doesn't matter. I can't kill it with my own strength. I need to buy them as much time as possible. Please hurry, Silver. I don't know how long I can maintain my own conciousness...

Silver POV

"...Dayum!" Kota breaks the silence. "Leave it to our leader to say something cool like that."

"I'm pretty sure thats just one of Silver's quirks." Sakuya replied.

I had kept staring up at where Pita looked down on us. I have a hunch of why it didn't attack us, but I can't be too sure. But, there's enough on my on my mind already, and decide to lead the gang back home.

I continue to sit lost in thought about a small number of things, one of them being the vivid dream i had that one time. My train of thought was broken when Sakuya spoke up.

"Something else on your mind?" She asked. "Or do you wanna keep it to yourself."

"No, I can tell you..." I responded, feeling like I jist got guilt-tripped. "You guys are my family. I can't stay quiet about things that are bugging me anymore."

"Whats goin on then?" Kota pried.

"Well, when I... resonated with Alisa." I began, not sure what to call that... flashback-y thing. "I suddenly saw when my brother died in front of me. I've dreamt about since and it gets more and more vivid and he keeps saying 'help...' and then the dream ends."

"Wierd... that hasn't been happening to me..." Alisa spoke up. "And it always plays out the same?"

"Exactly as I remember, clearer everytime. Its not every night, but still... its bothering me."

"Aw, its just a dream, buddy. Dont let it get to you." Kota tried to cheer me up. "I... had a nightmare the other night that my family was devoured by Aragami that breached the Ghetto."

The mood just got extremely depressing. "H-hey since Silver shared his dream, it only seemed fair to do the same. Sorry to get all gloomy."

"Its no problem, man. Thanks for sharing."

"I never thought you two were the type to have nighrmares." Soma lowly chimed in. "I sti-nevermind. Sorry."

"Eh, your fine." I replied. "ANYWAY! Moving on; Kanon was -really- pissed at me yesterday when I came home yesterday."

"And she had every right to be." Sakuya poimted out loudly. "You worried us sick yesterday!"

"Yeah, what were you thinking even THINKING of taking a mission like that alone?!" Alisa questioned angrily.

"I had no choice!" I admitted. That was one thing I had felt I wanted to hide, but couldn't. "Director Schiksal said I be going alone... The mission was confidential and I couldn't take anyone."

"What is that guy thinking?!" Kota slapped a hand on his fist. "I oughtta march in there and give him a piece of my mind! Soma, he's your dad, can you ask him to give Silv some slack?"

"K-Kota chill! It was probably a one time thing." Besides, the man has his reasons. After all, I'm a PERFECT replacement for Lindow, right? "Oi... anyway, thanks to today, I realized what Kanon said was right. I let becoming a leader go to my head and made me think I could do anything alone."

"There is a fine line between cockiness and self confidence. Knowing where its drawn is crucial."

"BAM! Quote of the day right there! Good job Alisa! You get a cookie!"

"U-um i was just speaking from uh... personal experience!" She nervously replies.

"Hm-hm, glad to see you back to your normal self, Silver." Sakuya giggles.

"Good to be back-" as we land back home. "Quite literally, holy bitchtits!" I shout. "Oi... I'm actually really tired..." I admitted, attempting to wind down. "Today was not easy."

"Hmph. And the fact that they got our hopes up for basically nothing doesn't help either."

"But we know who our real target is." Soma pointed.

"He's right. Gonna be blunt though: I think we're not prepared quite yet. Afterall, todays mission was given on the fly. I'd like everyone to each work on ways to improve our defensive and offensive strategies. I look forward to your inputs!" I shouted as we all hopped off the bird and I jogged to the gate.

"W-wait! We all have to go in together!" Sakuya shouts.

"Oh yeah..." After gettimg inside and putting our God Arcs away, we all went our seperate ways and I headed to Licca'a Lab to discuss a thought I had for my proposal. I found myself joined by Soma and I tried to think of somethiing to say. "Yo, good work out there today. Thanks for coming."

"It was that or another hunt for some Aragami that HE wants me to find." Soma explained. I had to wonder about this Aragami... why was IT so crucial...? "Hey... don't ever try to pick a fight with something you can't beat alone ever again. You'll just end up dying..." He turned away from me as he spoke in a sad tone.

"Consider it promised, friend."

"Good. Anyway, you still seem bothered."

"I can tell you. You'll take it rationally." I told Soma, placing my trust in him. "As you've seen, when Dyaus Pita is near me, my scar burns. But it was Kaiden who gave it to me..."

"And you haven't written it off as coincidence?"

"I had until I first had a Resonance with Alisa. Then it happened again. And before today, I felt it itch quite a few times but never once before i got here."

"Say... you said you impaled him with your sword right?"

"I know now that wouldn't kill him if he became corroded. His rampant Oracle Cells would heal him before long."

"You've done your research." Soma complments me with a smirk.

"Uhh-huh! And I've come to the conclusion that Kaiden is the one resonating with my scar, meaning that he's very much alive."

"Basically, he could very well be an Aragami with a bloodthirsty concience."

"But theres no way to know. This is all hypothetical conjecture. We know nothing yet about what this Resonance actually IS."

"Didn't it only happen through physical contact?"

"Yeah and I've only-"

*Ding*

"Ah, here we are." We stepped out of the lift and continued towards the lab. "Thanks for listening. I had to talk about it, but I feel like the others would go looking for Kaiden if I told them."

"Least I could do." Soma turned face to face with me. "We've got more in common that I ever thought we'd have. Hell, I saw you as a child even though your a year older. I was an ass to you, yet you still didn't give up on me. I respect that."

Did this dude just... say he RESPECTS me?! Not out of leadership, but like... KINship? Anyway. The sound of power tools gets louder and louder as we approach the God Arc Lab. As elwe enter, Licca is seen doing tweaks on another Eater's Arc. "Eyy! Licca, whats goin on?" I ask loudly over the machine... to no response.

"Headphones." Soma pointed out.

"Crap! She has defeated us! We must withdraw-

"What are ya'll making a racket for?" Licca butts in as the power tolls wind down. She turns to us and takes her headhones off and a woman can be heard singing.

[I] "-aaare lighting straying from the thunder! Miracles of ancient-"

Click.

"There you guys are!" She walks up to us and stretches.

"You were expecting us?" I wondered.

"I can see the world through your armlets... through PSYCHIC POWERS!" She mystically boasts.

"Whhaaaat?!" I played along.

"I told her we were coming." Soma plainly butts in.

"Aww your no fun..." Licca and I said in unison.

"I get that alot." He replies with smirk.

I notice my momento sword on a side table. I remembered I gave Licca my permission to examine it. "Still lookin at it, huh?" I smiled.

"The craftsmanship is amazing! Its practically ancient and theres almost no wear or rust!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed looking."

"And you're 100 percent sure you dont wanted converted into a God Arc blade?"

"Nah, I'm good with the one you made me. That said... I think I've run into- not a 'problem' per se, but its something I wanna try implementing into my God Arc somehow."

"Here, lets talk over a soda or somethin. But before that, Soma what did you need?"

"Just to give you the material you asked for. I salvaged them from the Privthi Mata." He handed her what looks to be a tooth chipping and a tuft of fur. "Its all I could get before we got interupted by something."

"No problem, Soma." Licca assures him. "I'll examine it later."

"Thank you. I'll be going." With that he heads out and only Licca and I were left.

"Anyway! Before we talk about your 'something', i had a question: who were the clothes I made for?"

Aw no... she didn't know? The clothing was a little too particular... "Uhh... they're for me!" 'Idiot... was that all you could think of...?'

"Hmm..." she stares at my nervous face for a moment. "Your an awful liar. But thats good. They're for an Aragami, right?"

"Y-yeah... one that is really personlike..." I admitted. "Oi... I'm in trouble..."

"Hey, relax! I know how to keep a secret. Afterall, I'm an accomplice now."

"Thank you so much... if the director found out, she'd be killed and I-" I found myself babbling incherently and I stop myself.

"Settle! I had fun making the outfit, so i would never rat you out. Still... she must have a great figure..." I Licca found herself daydreaming forna moment and then seems to remember I'm still here. "Ah... anyway, lets talk!" She tells me as she leads me out into the hall, where we grab something to drink and I explain my situation to the God Arc techie.

"So earlier, I found myself being pushed back by some small projectiles while shielding, and It took forever just to get in close." I began. "I thought to myself 'if only I could hit them and keep moving.' Is there anyway to give my God Arc an ability that lets me destroy or like... neitralize Aragami projectiles or something...?"

"Hmm... so shielding isn't efficient for you now...?"

"N-no thats not what i meant! I just wanted to come up with a way to move and stay on defense."

"Kidding! Hm... I've never though of this before... you just gave me something new to work on!" Licca beamed. "I'll start finding a way right away!" Licca stands and scurries to the lab.

"I'll think about it too!" I shout back as I wave and head to the lift once again. As I enter, I sigh in relief, kind of glad today was over. In fact, I went ahead and asked for tomorrow off. Hopefully I actually get it though. I didn't feel tired after all and instead took a lift up to the roof. As I rise to the very top of the Far East Branch, the sun had already been done setting.

No matter how many times I ever looked at it, the moon still looks beautiful. Its bright, soothing to look at, and its always changing. My daydreaming however is interupted by a certain raspy voice. "Ah, young Silver." It greets from behind. "What a pleasent surprise."

"Professor!" I greet back. "Ah, Shio!" I nearly beamed. I hadn't seen her in a bit.

"Silver!" The girl squeeled. The moon shining down on her made that innocence factor multiply by like... 18. "Wooow!" The girl had looked up to the moon and had simply stared in awe at its fullness.

"She wanted to see the moon." Sakaki told me. "She said it had been a long time. Anyway, I heard you've been busy."

"Silver beat a REALLY big Aragami, I heard!" Shio adds toward me.

"Yep. It wasn't easy. From now on though, I'll remember to ask for assistance."

"Whats a 'sist'?" The girl asks.

"It means to help people." I answered.

"Oooh! Silver! Next time, I'll give you some delicious assist!"

"Heh, thank you Shio." I say. Wait... she cant actually like, fight can she? Anyway, we gaze at the moon for a while longer before deciding to turn in.

"Oh, young Silver I hate to trouble you, but tomorrow morning, do you think you could take Shio eating again?" Sakaki requested. "I'm aware you requested a break, but I can't keep her cooped up in that room forever."

"I'd be happy to." I replied. The doctor nodded in thanks as we all went to turn in for the night. That is until Shio spoke up again.

"Doctor... why can't I meet other God Eaters...?" She asked with sadness.

"Because Shio... I erm...

"Because I don't think everyone else would umderstand you the way we do. If the wrong people learned about you, we're afraid they'd try to hurt or take you from us." I stepped in as i bent down. "It will take some time, but there'll be a time where you'll get to be friends with the whole Den!"

"I don't know if I get it..."

"You'll understand someday. Its something everyone sort of learns as they keep on living."

"OK! Until then, I have you all! Silver, Soma, the Doctor, everyone!" Shio reminded me.

"Well said, both of you. Now, why don't we turn in for the night?" The professor suggested. I walked with the Doctor and Shio back to the lab, then headed back into the elevator. As I did, i wondered if I'd ever have a chance to patch things up with Kanon. As it turns out, that chance just walked in with me...Silver POV

She stood there for a moment breathing heavily as the nurse started patching my wounds. I smiled at her, showing I was glad to get to see her. She however, looked angry.

"Miss Kanon", one of the nurses addressed her. "We're still treating his wounds. Can you come back another time?"

"Actually… ma'am?" I butt in. "If its OK, can I let her treat me? I'd like to be alone with her."

"Hmhm… are you sure?"

"Don't worry. She knows what she's doing." The nurse gave me a polite bow and left Kanon and I in the infirmary alone. I smile at her again, but she storms over to a cabnit and pulls out some medical supplies in a growl. Something told me I should have been scared…Kanon carelessly applies alcohol to a cotton ball and starts dabbing it on my back so hard it was more like hammering. "Gyah, what the hell, Kanon?" I loudly question.

"No! What the hell YOU?!" she finally spoke to me. "What were you thinking?"

"What did I even do?!"

"You almost died!" Kanon screams. "You were planning on coming back alive, right?!"

"O-of course! I'm not gonna die on my first mission given to me by the Director himself!"

"Hmph… 'the Director'. Think you're all high and mighty now because you get a special assignment?"

"Wha-no… I don't think that at all… Kanon… I didn't mean to worry you."

"Silver… ever since you became a captain, you let it go to your head."

"Thats not true!" I denied. Kanon began wrapping bandages around my chest. "Hey, not so tight."

"Are you kidding me?! You used this to cover a wound?" Kanon yelled, referring to my bandana.

"I know… your mom made that. I didn't want to, but I would have lost a lot more blood…"

Kanon lets out a sigh to try and calm herself.

"Honestly... What are we gonna do with you…?"

"Seriously what did I do wrong?!" I demand. "I went out. Killed an Aragami. Got a little hurt LIKE I ALWAYS DO!"

"Not like this though!" She retaliated. "You're usually careful to a degree. But today, you were completely stupid!"

"I've always been stupid!" I bit back, putting myself down.

"Stop freaking saying that!" She had stopped wrapping the bandages. "You were just trying to be cool! Even though you keep saying 'I'm not Lindow, I'm not Lindow'! But there you are, trying to go one-on-one with a mountain sized Aragami!"

"BECAUSE ITS MY JOB! And yours, too! You've been here longer than me, you should know!"

"You really are stupid..." she growls. Kanon said nothing were quite for a time, and it wasn't a pleasent quiet. She finally got done wrapping the part of my arm that one of the Ouroboros spike jabbed. My Bias Factor would accelerate my healing, but I'd probably be out for tomorrow.

"Do you need help getting back to your room?" Kanon asks me as I slightly struggle to stand up.

"I'll be fine." I lied. "I'm uh.. just hungry is all!" I didn't want too worry here, but I felt guilty, and knew Kanon could tell I was lying.

"Don't lie to me…" Kanon hisses with a sad expression.

I insist I can get back and she leaves in a huff. She took my headband away to get it washed, which sort of made me feel like I was missing a piece of myself. "Stupid...?" I thought outloud. "What am I doing wrong...?" As I walked out of the lift as I was in deep thought into the Veteran section, I wince in pain as I collapse to my knees, clutching where I was hurt. "Ow... maybe I should have asked for help..."

Next day- Directors office-

My wounds had almost completely healed and I felt much better. I had a hard time getting to sleep however as the pain was little much. I managed to fight it and now I'm back on my feet with no problems before the Director.

"My, my. You are certainly full of surprises, Silver." The director complimented me.

If your surprised, then does that mean you expected me to die? "It was… difficult, but I did what you asked, sir." I politely replied reluctantly. I was beginning to think Soma was right.

"Very good. I, for one, am glad to see you back safe. The core will greatly assist in the construction of the Aegis project."

Director Schicksal kept things brief. He did his usual complementing and unnecessary praising, told me he expects 'great things' from me. Before he dismissed me… something about that smile he wore seemed… off.

With that, I went ahead to apply for my next mission. On the way there, I heard Major Amamiya's voice on the PA. "All available First Unit members, report to the lobby imediately." She said with utmost urgency. Wasting no time, I pick up my pace and hurry to the lobby. As it just so happened, my whole Unit eventually gathered in the elevator before arriving to the entrance.

"Wonder what this is about?" Kota asked the group with a serious tone. "It sounded urgent…"

"You know as much as we do." Alisa pointed out while she played with a lock of her hair. She always did that when she was nervous.

We scurried out the lift where Tsubaki stood in wait. "Perfect. Thank you all for gathering on such notice." She told us.

"Whats this about?" Soma bluntly asked.

"Today your target is a Privthi Mata. Also known by some as the 'Ice Vajra'."

Alisa let out a gasp as a look of fear took over her face. She calmed herself though when Sakuya place her hand on Alisa's shoulder.

"That Aragami is…" I started.

"Yes. The one you encountered the herd of when Lindow went MIA. It has been giving out peculiar readings as of late. We confirmed that these strange signals… they match Lindow's Armlet."

"Huh? Does that mean we found him?!" Kota asked hopefully.

"It could be some kind of mistake, but there is a good chancee you'll be facing Lindow's killer."

So she's able to accept what happened. That's good.

"Do you… think we'll be able to kill it?" I asked.

My teammates all gave my strange looks.

"That's not like you Silver." Sakuya said.

"There's no denying it'll be a grueling fight. But after running a number of scenario's, we've determined you can pull it off. You know what needs to be done?"

"Yeah. Guys." I said to get everyones attention. "If we fighting this beast… we can't do it with thoughts of revenge."

"I know… we've got to be careful." Kota replied with a hint of guilt.

"Sakuya… are you going to be able to focus?"

"Y- yes!" She hesitated. "We'll be OK, right Alisa?"

"Absolutely!" Alisa added. "Thanks to you guys… I will no longer let my fears comtrol me!"

"Good to hear. Soma, what about you?" I asked.

"What is it that you want me to say?" He inquired with a slight laugh.

I nodded and gaze at my entire team with a smile. "Ok, then. Lets load up and move out."

Everyone scatters to prep for the extermination mission while I do the same. I get lost in thought about what went down yesterday after I came home. "Is she still mad?" I wondered out loud to myself. I considered popping in to see Kanon, but something told me she wouldn't want to see me. Suddenly I heard voices calling my name

"Yo! Den to Silver? Can ya hear me?!" Kota loudly asks as I snap out of my thoughts.

"Wha-?!" I looked behind me and saw the group staring at me in wait. "Oh, you all good to go?"

"Never mind us." Sakuya said in her kind sisterly tone. "What about YOU? Something on your mind?"

"Nah, its nothing. Yesterday wore me out a bit is all." I lied. "I'm all set."

The flight to the mission area was quiet with some tension in the air. Not only would this Aragami be a difficult one to kill, but it would also determine whether our former leader was alive or not. But for me, even if we dont get the truth here, I don't think he made it. If anyone said I'm just giving up on him, I'd probably deserve it. But I don't want to take what everyone hopes for away from them with my sorry thinking. "5 minutes to mission area." I announced. "Get ready, everyone."

Ancient Temple Outskirts- ? POV

"Stop! I command you!" I attempted to command the Dyaus Pita, but it isn't obeying this side of me... "Obey me dammit!" I have to stop it before it reaches the temple. I have to find Lindow, but I'm afraid it may be too late...

It was no use, the beast kept running with no interest in me, not that I had the strength to stop it. "Gyah!" I cried as I felt my head throb, as if something was trying to break out. "Why not allow me to tame him?" I heard a voice in my head

"No... you wont... use me for this!"

"You think you can do something about it? Hurry up and unleash me! You do know right? That i can kill it in an instant!"

"But you WON'T!" I bit back. 'I have to stop it before it finds Silver!'

Silver POV-

Once again in the biting cold ruins, fitting for a monster such as our target. After hopping down from the drop off and seeking it, Kota must have seen how distraught I was. "Silver, you sure your OK?" Kota asked for assurence.

"Hm?" I snapped out if thought. "Yes. I am." I firmly responded. I had to be if I was about to lead a charge on one of these crazy Vajra's. "Hibari, are you able to get a reading on the Aragami's location?"

"Its there, but the weather is making it hard to pinpoint." She informed us. "But it looks to be somewhere in the northern section, near the shrine."

"Got it. Lets track it down carefully." I commanded. "Keep me posted, please Hibari."

"I-rry, wha- at?" I heard in a staticy voice.

"Agh... whether must be screewing with the signal." I flicked the ear piece i wore.

"Yo-bably righ-. I'll cont-gain" i managed to make out what she said.

"Yep. Begininng radio silence." I turn off my comm and turn to the group.

"Guess splitting up is out of the question." Kota sighed.

"Looks to be the case. Guess we'll have to stay close and be extra careful." I gave a signal and we hopped off the wooden platform. We trekked around the snowwy area in a sort of 'Z' formation, with me up front, Soma beside me, Alisa behind us, and Kota and Sakuya in the back.

"Hm... we have an extra person this time around..." Alisa pondered. "But that may make it harder to stay coordinated.

"Well then we can split into a group into a group of 2 and 3, then we can just 'happen' to be fighting the same enemy!" Kota suggested

"We'll still be in each others way!"

"Can't you two stop for once?" I stepped in, halting the group. "We'll work something out." Suddenly, I heard footsteps around the corner of the staircase. I signaled everyone to lean against the wall. Sure enough, the all too familiar Ice-like Aragami came up from the stairs and continued wandering forward. "Disguise Scents, everyone. Sakuya, a sniper field please."

"Roger." She replied as she activates a sniper field and everyone else takes a Disguise Scent pill, except me.

"Wait why didn't you-" Kota begins before I dash towards the Aragami and we engage each other. After letting out a roar as I charge it, it attempts to pounce me similar to a normal Vajra would. I quickly slip underneath it and try slashing its stomache, but I end up missing and almost stumbling.

Upon getting on my feet, I see icsicles forming from the air and shooting towards me. I pop my shield open to blocl them, but it kept pressuring me and i slipped on a spot of solid ice. I look up to see the a giant snow cat juming towards me and suddenly a flash blinds me, followed by what seems to be an arm grabbing around my stomache.

"Ugh..." I grown as I rub my eyes after Sakuya and the gang get us to safety.

"And just what the hell ws THAT supposed to be?" Sakuya demands

"What, think you can just brush us off cuz you killed a big bad Oburobus?" Kota adds.

"Ouroboros..." Soma corrected quietly.

"Hey, I was just trying to learn what it does and have you guys catch off guard!"

"WAS that the plan? I didn't hear anything about that." Sakuya sarcastically responds.

"Captain, when we have a battle to fight, I expect you to start and finish it with us by your side." Alisa reminds me.

"I know..." I respond in guilt.

"Your suppose to LEAD us, not do everything FOR us!"

"I know!" I repeat. "And what if I fail?! I'm suppose to be responsible for all of you, but look at my track record!" I had actually just snapped... and the team seemed more than surprised. "If I'm not strong enough to protect you all-

"Then you don't have to be." Sakuya tells me in that loving sisterly voice. "We are touched that you care so much for us. But let us be some of that strength that you need."

"Yeah! After all, we are a team!" Kota chimes in.

"Ah!" I gasp and remember what he said

[I] "Listen. I want you to be someone i KNOW has my back."

"Sorry guys...I was caught up in trying to have your backs I that I forgot the most important thing: Knowing that you all have mine."

"Sounds like trusting other's is still hard for you." Sakuya says.

"I guess I just needed to figure it out. First off, I'll start letting you help when I really need it."

"And we always will." Alisa assured me, which made me feel much better. "Right Soma?"

"Hm. Sure..." Soma simply added.

"Thanks for that." I sincerely told everyone. We all became alert however when we heard a roar and running footstepd of the Privthi Mata coming our way. "Here it comes... lets finish this the way we should have started it: As a team!"

We made our way to between the top and the bottom of two staircases leading up to the broken down temple area which was a little small, but almost perfect for an ambush. So I had a perfect idea.

"Are you OK with that?" I asked Soma

"I'm a fast runner. Let me do it." He responded confidently.

"Thanks." Meanwhile, the readings on the map became clearer and the Aragami seemed to have given up on us for now, and was wandering around the northern temple building. While Soma headed up there, the four of us would split up in two's and position ourselves to each side of the bottom of the stairs, out of sight.

Sakuya and I had positioned ourselves at the lower set of stairs, and Kota and Alisa at the upper. While waiting, comms had started working again and we could signal each other. "Everyone all set?"

"Yeah." Kota responded. "This is totally gonna work! He wont have any room to move around!"

"Kota's right. Thats one of the advantages of us small humans!" Alisa agrees.

As we got ourselves ready for the four-way pincher ambush, I felt the need to tell Sakuya something. "Sakuya..." I started, to which she cocked her head towards me in response. "This Aragami... I don't think its the one we're-

"You think we didn't think that?" She buts in. "Just because you dont talk about things doesnt mean we don't know whats going on."

"So everyone was thinking the same thing?"

"Yeah we discussed it for a moment while you were getting ready-"

"The target has me in its sight!" Soma said loudly over comm. "I'm headed towards the stairs!"

"It has to be the black one..." she finished

I waited patiently, waiting for Soma to show up. Upon glancing at the map, he and Mata had passed Alisa and Kota in hiding. Before long he showed up, and as soon as he signaled us, Sakiya and I jump from the sides of the stairs and open fire one the Privthi Mata with everything we've got. "Now you two!" I shout as the snowwy Vajra tried to turn tail and run. Before reaching the top, Kota and Alisa appear from up top guns ablazing. Now caught in a triad of gunfire, I switch to my Pickaxe and join Soma to try and get a few melee hits in.

We tried slashing its legs, but they were noticibly stronger than a Vajra's. "Damn... that's some thick skin..." Soma grunts.

"We have to find a way to power through it!" I shout back while dodging some icicles again. "Otherwise we'll never take down Pita." I mount my feet and start shielding the spikes, but i find myself being pushed back. "Dammit i can't get close enough to Devour... " I say to myself as I try to think of a plan. If only I could slap the projectiles and destroy them... The monster let nout a roar as a ferocious icy wind swirls rapidly around it. I try to fight the pain as small shreds of ice hit my face.

"Captain! Ammo's gone!" Alisa shouts.

"Switch with me then!" I responded, as i had more than enough ammo to spare. I leap backwards, she dashes past me continuing where I left off. Suddenly, it begins to roar again, though the icy wind was slower to start up. "Guys! Hit the left leg at the same time!"

"Got it! One!" Soma began

"Two" Alisa continued

"Three!" They both finished and slashed the monsters leg as hard as they could.

Alisa charges up a Devour and chomps the fallen beast. "Switch again!" Alisa leaps backwards and Transfer Shoots me while allowing me get a bite in..

"Deee-Vour!" I yell as I bite the Aragami extra hard. As he began to get up, Soma lept upcto its face and slammed a Charge Crush down on its face. As it dropped a little, seeming to finally give up, Alisa flip-slashed its face. As Gunfire from Kota and Sakuya keeps it at bay, I jump above its face and jab right into the crack Soma and Alisa left me. To seal the deal, I twist my God Arc a kick off of the face of the now fallen Privthi Mata, its blood begining to dye the snow red.

I begin panting after the monster finally dies. I honestly feel like collapsing in exhaustion, but i had to search the monster corpse. "Well... here goes..." I sighed, preparing for the worst. I used Devour to dig around inside the body, but didn't seem to find anything.

"Any luck...?" Kota asked.

"No. I knew it... this isn't the one."

"Lindow..." Sakuya said to herself as she turned away to hide tears. "This means he could still be out there somewhere!"

"...Sakuya I- GYAH!" I screamed as I was interupted by a familiar burning sensation on my face. It still hurt like hell.

"A monsterous Oracle Response is rapidly approaching! You all have to retreat now!" Hibari shouted.

From below, we look up to a ridge where the so called 'Black Emperor' approached. We looked calmly back at it as it stared us down.

"This is bad, we have to get him out of here!" Kota told the group, refering to me.

"Can you stand?" Alisa asked in haste, and so I did, fighting the pain.

"Heh... don't worry." I said with a pained laughas I forced myself to look up, speaking to the monster, not my team. "We're not ready yet, but mark my words: Whe the time comes calling, you WILL get yours! No matter how much this scar burns, I swear it!" I shout at the monster. Ot jerks its head and turns its back on us, and we simply let it leave. "You've helped take enough lives away. Am I right... Kaiden...?" Before long, the pain eased away.

? POV-

I just barely managed to stop this monster from harming them... but will I be able to next time? It doesn't matter. I can't kill it with my own strength. I need to buy them as much time as possible. Please hurry, Silver. I don't know how long I can maintain my own conciousness...

Silver POV

"...Dayum!" Kota breaks the silence. "Leave it to our leader to say something cool like that."

"I'm pretty sure thats just one of Silver's quirks." Sakuya replied.

I had kept staring up at where Pita looked down on us. I have a hunch of why it didn't attack us, but I can't be too sure. But, there's enough on my on my mind already, and decide to lead the gang back home.

I continue to sit lost in thought about a small number of things, one of them being the vivid dream i had that one time. My train of thought was broken when Sakuya spoke up.

"Something else on your mind?" She asked. "Or do you wanna keep it to yourself."

"No, I can tell you..." I responded, feeling like I jist got guilt-tripped. "You guys are my family. I can't stay quiet about things that are bugging me anymore."

"Whats goin on then?" Kota pried.

"Well, when I... resonated with Alisa." I began, not sure what to call that... flashback-y thing. "I suddenly saw when my brother died in front of me. I've dreamt about since and it gets more and more vivid and he keeps saying 'help...' and then the dream ends."

"Wierd... that hasn't been happening to me..." Alisa spoke up. "And it always plays out the same?"

"Exactly as I remember, clearer everytime. Its not every night, but still... its bothering me."

"Aw, its just a dream, buddy. Dont let it get to you." Kota tried to cheer me up. "I... had a nightmare the other night that my family was devoured by Aragami that breached the Ghetto."

The mood just got extremely depressing. "H-hey since Silver shared his dream, it only seemed fair to do the same. Sorry to get all gloomy."

"Its no problem, man. Thanks for sharing."

"I never thought you two were the type to have nighrmares." Soma lowly chimed in. "I sti-nevermind. Sorry."

"Eh, your fine." I replied. "ANYWAY! Moving on; Kanon was -really- pissed at me yesterday when I came home yesterday."

"And she had every right to be." Sakuya poimted out loudly. "You worried us sick yesterday!"

"Yeah, what were you thinking even THINKING of taking a mission like that alone?!" Alisa questioned angrily.

"I had no choice!" I admitted. That was one thing I had felt I wanted to hide, but couldn't. "Director Schiksal said I be going alone... The mission was confidential and I couldn't take anyone."

"What is that guy thinking?!" Kota slapped a hand on his fist. "I oughtta march in there and give him a piece of my mind! Soma, he's your dad, can you ask him to give Silv some slack?"

"K-Kota chill! It was probably a one time thing." Besides, the man has his reasons. After all, I'm a PERFECT replacement for Lindow, right? "Oi... anyway, thanks to today, I realized what Kanon said was right. I let becoming a leader go to my head and made me think I could do anything alone."

"There is a fine line between cockiness and self confidence. Knowing where its drawn is crucial."

"BAM! Quote of the day right there! Good job Alisa! You get a cookie!"

"U-um i was just speaking from uh... personal experience!" She nervously replies.

"Hm-hm, glad to see you back to your normal self, Silver." Sakuya giggles.

"Good to be back-" as we land back home. "Quite literally, holy bitchtits!" I shout. "Oi... I'm actually really tired..." I admitted, attempting to wind down. "Today was not easy."

"Hmph. And the fact that they got our hopes up for basically nothing doesn't help either."

"But we know who our real target is." Soma pointed.

"He's right. Gonna be blunt though: I think we're not prepared quite yet. Afterall, todays mission was given on the fly. I'd like everyone to each work on ways to improve our defensive and offensive strategies. I look forward to your inputs!" I shouted as we all hopped off the bird and I jogged to the gate.

"W-wait! We all have to go in together!" Sakuya shouts.

"Oh yeah..." After gettimg inside and putting our God Arcs away, we all went our seperate ways and I headed to Licca'a Lab to discuss a thought I had for my proposal. I found myself joined by Soma and I tried to think of somethiing to say. "Yo, good work out there today. Thanks for coming."

"It was that or another hunt for some Aragami that HE wants me to find." Soma explained. I had to wonder about this Aragami... why was IT so crucial...? "Hey... don't ever try to pick a fight with something you can't beat alone ever again. You'll just end up dying..." He turned away from me as he spoke in a sad tone.

"Consider it promised, friend."

"Good. Anyway, you still seem bothered."

"I can tell you. You'll take it rationally." I told Soma, placing my trust in him. "As you've seen, when Dyaus Pita is near me, my scar burns. But it was Kaiden who gave it to me..."

"And you haven't written it off as coincidence?"

"I had until I first had a Resonance with Alisa. Then it happened again. And before today, I felt it itch quite a few times but never once before i got here."

"Say... you said you impaled him with your sword right?"

"I know now that wouldn't kill him if he became corroded. His rampant Oracle Cells would heal him before long."

"You've done your research." Soma complments me with a smirk.

"Uhh-huh! And I've come to the conclusion that Kaiden is the one resonating with my scar, meaning that he's very much alive."

"Basically, he could very well be an Aragami with a bloodthirsty concience."

"But theres no way to know. This is all hypothetical conjecture. We know nothing yet about what this Resonance actually IS."

"Didn't it only happen through physical contact?"

"Yeah and I've only-"

*Ding*

"Ah, here we are." We stepped out of the lift and continued towards the lab. "Thanks for listening. I had to talk about it, but I feel like the others would go looking for Kaiden if I told them."

"Least I could do." Soma turned face to face with me. "We've got more in common that I ever thought we'd have. Hell, I saw you as a child even though your a year older. I was an ass to you, yet you still didn't give up on me. I respect that."

Did this dude just... say he RESPECTS me?! Not out of leadership, but like... KINship? Anyway. The sound of power tools gets louder and louder as we approach the God Arc Lab. As elwe enter, Licca is seen doing tweaks on another Eater's Arc. "Eyy! Licca, whats goin on?" I ask loudly over the machine... to no response.

"Headphones." Soma pointed out.

"Crap! She has defeated us! We must withdraw-

"What are ya'll making a racket for?" Licca butts in as the power tolls wind down. She turns to us and takes her headhones off and a woman can be heard singing.

[I] "-aaare lighting straying from the thunder! Miracles of ancient-"

Click.

"There you guys are!" She walks up to us and stretches.

"You were expecting us?" I wondered.

"I can see the world through your armlets... through PSYCHIC POWERS!" She mystically boasts.

"Whhaaaat?!" I played along.

"I told her we were coming." Soma plainly butts in.

"Aww your no fun..." Licca and I said in unison.

"I get that alot." He replies with smirk.

I notice my momento sword on a side table. I remembered I gave Licca my permission to examine it. "Still lookin at it, huh?" I smiled.

"The craftsmanship is amazing! Its practically ancient and theres almost no wear or rust!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed looking."

"And you're 100 percent sure you dont wanted converted into a God Arc blade?"

"Nah, I'm good with the one you made me. That said... I think I've run into- not a 'problem' per se, but its something I wanna try implementing into my God Arc somehow."

"Here, lets talk over a soda or somethin. But before that, Soma what did you need?"

"Just to give you the material you asked for. I salvaged them from the Privthi Mata." He handed her what looks to be a tooth chipping and a tuft of fur. "Its all I could get before we got interupted by something."

"No problem, Soma." Licca assures him. "I'll examine it later."

"Thank you. I'll be going." With that he heads out and only Licca and I were left.

"Anyway! Before we talk about your 'something', i had a question: who were the clothes I made for?"

Aw no... she didn't know? The clothing was a little too particular... "Uhh... they're for me!" 'Idiot... was that all you could think of...?'

"Hmm..." she stares at my nervous face for a moment. "Your an awful liar. But thats good. They're for an Aragami, right?"

"Y-yeah... one that is really personlike..." I admitted. "Oi... I'm in trouble..."

"Hey, relax! I know how to keep a secret. Afterall, I'm an accomplice now."

"Thank you so much... if the director found out, she'd be killed and I-" I found myself babbling incherently and I stop myself.

"Settle! I had fun making the outfit, so i would never rat you out. Still... she must have a great figure..." I Licca found herself daydreaming forna moment and then seems to remember I'm still here. "Ah... anyway, lets talk!" She tells me as she leads me out into the hall, where we grab something to drink and I explain my situation to the God Arc techie.

"So earlier, I found myself being pushed back by some small projectiles while shielding, and It took forever just to get in close." I began. "I thought to myself 'if only I could hit them and keep moving.' Is there anyway to give my God Arc an ability that lets me destroy or like... neitralize Aragami projectiles or something...?"

"Hmm... so shielding isn't efficient for you now...?"

"N-no thats not what i meant! I just wanted to come up with a way to move and stay on defense."

"Kidding! Hm... I've never though of this before... you just gave me something new to work on!" Licca beamed. "I'll start finding a way right away!" Licca stands and scurries to the lab.

"I'll think about it too!" I shout back as I wave and head to the lift once again. As I enter, I sigh in relief, kind of glad today was over. In fact, I went ahead and asked for tomorrow off. Hopefully I actually get it though. I didn't feel tired after all and instead took a lift up to the roof. As I rise to the very top of the Far East Branch, the sun had already been done setting.

No matter how many times I ever looked at it, the moon still looks beautiful. Its bright, soothing to look at, and its always changing. My daydreaming however is interupted by a certain raspy voice. "Ah, young Silver." It greets from behind. "What a pleasent surprise."

"Professor!" I greet back. "Ah, Shio!" I nearly beamed. I hadn't seen her in a bit.

"Silver!" The girl squeeled. The moon shining down on her made that innocence factor multiply by like... 18. "Wooow!" The girl had looked up to the moon and had simply stared in awe at its fullness.

"She wanted to see the moon." Sakaki told me. "She said it had been a long time. Anyway, I heard you've been busy."

"Silver beat a REALLY big Aragami, I heard!" Shio adds toward me.

"Yep. It wasn't easy. From now on though, I'll remember to ask for assistance."

"Whats a 'sist'?" The girl asks.

"It means to help people." I answered.

"Oooh! Silver! Next time, I'll give you some delicious assist!"

"Heh, thank you Shio." I say. Wait... she cant actually like, fight can she? Anyway, we gaze at the moon for a while longer before deciding to turn in.

"Oh, young Silver I hate to trouble you, but tomorrow morning, do you think you could take Shio eating again?" Sakaki requested. "I'm aware you requested a break, but I can't keep her cooped up in that room forever."

"I'd be happy to." I replied. The doctor nodded in thanks as we all went to turn in for the night. That is until Shio spoke up again.

"Doctor... why can't I meet other God Eaters...?" She asked with sadness.

"Because Shio... I erm...

"Because I don't think everyone else would umderstand you the way we do. If the wrong people learned about you, we're afraid they'd try to hurt or take you from us." I stepped in as i bent down. "It will take some time, but there'll be a time where you'll get to be friends with the whole Den!"

"I don't know if I get it..."

"You'll understand someday. Its something everyone sort of learns as they keep on living."

"OK! Until then, I have you all! Silver, Soma, the Doctor, everyone!" Shio reminded me.

"Well said, both of you. Now, why don't we turn in for the night?" The professor suggested. I walked with the Doctor and Shio back to the lab, then headed back into the elevator. As I did, i wondered if I'd ever have a chance to patch things up with Kanon. As it turns out, that chance just walked in with me...

* * *

Authors Note: I AM SO FREAKING SORRY DX I had no idea there were still people on here waiting for these chapters! Some... real crap happened and by the time i FINALLY ztarted writing again, i had decided to carry it over to God Eater's Amino, where i have made some amazing friends. I have updated all the chapters on there and am working CH22. It may take some time, but thisnsyory is far from dead. Heck, its all i think about half the time XD


	22. Chapter 22: Day Off That Ends Up Not

~Silver POV~

I can't think of what the hell to say to Kanon, seeing as she was probably still mad at me. I stand in self conflict as I'm taking probably the most awkward elevator ride I'll probably ever take. She stares straight forward with her arms behind her and doesn't even glance at me. "I uh..." I stutter. "So, how... is the Unit doin...?" I try to change to a cheerful attitude, but I'm not fooling anyone... myself included.

"Oh who'm I kidding... look. Everything you said the other day; about me letting things go to my head and all that." I recalled outloud, speaking seriously now, slightly guilted. "You were completely right. I wanted to believe I could do anything alone so they could rely on me."

"But Silver..." Kanon broke her silence, finally. "Everyone DOES rely on you. But you need to do do the same for others."

"I know that now. I've... never known how to trust people. I thought it was only 'this person won't try to kill me' and 'oop, he will though.'" I explained. "But even if I can manage on my own, I keep forgetting I don't have to. That I can safely put my life into the hands of my friends without worrying."

"It took ya long enough to realize that, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda stupid like-

"Oh stop it." Kanon halts me. "Your stress is getting to you. Trust me, I know the feeling."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "Hey... about the Ouroboros mission... the reason I went-

"I know. Hibari told me you couldn't take anyone with you. What a buncha bullshit!"

I was caught off guard by Kanon's sudden outburst of anger. "K-Kanon, its fine!"

"No, it isn't. I don't care if he IS the Director. He shouldn't treat you like a tool!"

"It. Is. Fine." I assured her. "I will never do anything like that alone again, OK. And better yet, I'm taking tomorrow off!"

"Good. Now... No more putting yourself down, no more feeling sorry for yourself, and no more refusing help from anyone, OK? Or I swear to God, I will snap your neck!" She threathens me, but I laught it off.

"Hah, but Kanon... I eat those for a living."

"Wha- I... Oh you..."

We stood in silence for a moment until the lift stops at Kanons floor. I step out to get a drink from the vender. I take a seat and Kanon joins me. She notices I let out a sigh.

"Somethin' still on your mind...?" Kanon asks, continuing to worry.

Of course theres a lot on my mind. Like why do I feel so awkward around her right now? I thought I liked her...? But of course, I just say something vague. "I dunno... I just have a feeling something bads about to happen... something I end up failing to prevent."

"What kind of something?"

"I can't say. But that kind of thing just makes me itchy all over..."

I hear Kanon sniff a couple times. "I... think you're itching because you need a shower..." She admits.

"Hey! Though you're probably right..." I agree in slight emberassment as I get up and take a look at the door at the end. "Ugh... I still have stuff to move into my new room from my old one... Reorganize my games by alphabetically by title and chronologically by year..."

"Ooh! I can ask Brenden if he'll help you!" Kanon beams. "He's off tomorrow too!"

"Aw he doesn't have to do that. I don't wanna bother him on his day off."

"Oh, that guy will go crazy if he doesn't have anything to do. He's a workaholic!" Kanon laughs. "Hey, what happened to not refusing help?"

"Geez... OK, MOM!" I shrugged. "Seriously though... thank you for caring about me."

Kanon perks up from her seat and bends down to my face. "Well why wouldn't I?" for a second I thought she was gonna kiss me but- "You're almost like family to me!"

All of a sudden, my chest feels like a glass window that was just Charge Crushed by a Buster style God Arc. Here I now am with the most forced smile in the history of smiles. "R-right..." I manage. I quickly get up and jog to the lift 5 feet away. "Well good night!"

"Wait I have your-

As soon as the doors close, I collapse against the wall and feel the need to rip an invisible dagger from my heart. "Almost like Family...?"

~Sakuya's Room, from her POV~

"Sakuya, I'm sorry we couldn't do it today..." Alisa apologizes to me.

"You know something, Alisa?" I ask, sipping my coffee. "I'm actually relieved."

"Why?"

"I thought I had everything under control but... I almost lost it. If Silver weren't there..." I shame off that thought. "Deep down, there's still a part of my heart holding onto hope that Lindow's alive."

"Sakuya..."

"If we find that Armlet... part of me will be gone. HE'LL be gone. But in that moment, when he was facing death... he chose to fight even though he knew there was no other way." I feel pathetic listening to myself. "I'm scared. Right now its just empty theories, but something so small can make it real again."

"R-right! You jist need to pull yourself together! Come on, Sakuya!" Alisa tries to cheer me on.

"Thanks Alisa." Suddenly, I hear a mail notification on my Terminal and go ahead and read it. "Huh. There's a surprise." I exclaim.

"What is?" Alisa curiously asks.

"Silver's taking a day tomorrow. Of his own request, might I add."

"That's good. He needs AND deserves it."

"Well then, as Vice Captain I'd better step up my game tomorrow!" I proclaim. I feel like I just found some kind of new resolve. Lindow was always there, so I never HAD to take charge until Silver, Kota and Alisa showed up. I wasn't ready to take charge before, but I am now.

"I'm... gonna head to sleep now." Alisa tells me.

Alisa bids me goodnight and leaves my room. After she leaves, I deicde I need some of our awful beer. However, I look in my fridge, to find its all gone. "Oooof course." I giggle to myself. Instead, I decide to use the vendor in the hall, but as I head out, Silver passes by me muttering to himself.

"I'm OK with this, I'm OK with this..." I hear as he scurries past me. "OhhiSakuya, goodnight." He mumbles as he enters his room. Wonder whats wrong...?

~Silver POV~

I calm down after overly fretting over my... relationship complex and try to think of what Licca and I discussed. I needed a way to defend myself while moving...

After some time, I'm sure I didn't think of anything Licca probably wouldn't. But, the idea I have may work. I just hope she doesn't freak out when she realize's how many Aragami Bullets I haven't used. Right when I got up to go ahead and get cleaned up, I recieve a message from Brenden saying we'd meet up tomorrow.

After taking an admittedly nice, steamy shower, I lay in my bed having trouble getting to sleep, but I slowly but surely manage to drift asleep into the dreaming world...

 _I find myself on an alter in front of Shio who has her back to me. Against my will, I begin lift my God Arc into the air..._

 _"N-no..."_

 _My body doesn't listen to me as I try to shake it to stop it from bringing my Arc down on her._

 _"Stop I don't want... to do this!"_

 _She turns around to face me and gives me one of her cute smiles and mouths... "Its OK-"_

 _SLASH_

 _I open my eyes to see a black blade with a red glow thrust through Shio's chest. I catch her in my arms, and upon looking up do I see a familiar man in a white coat laughing sinisterlly._

"SHIO!" I gasp as I spring up from my bed breathing heavily, covered in sweat. I gaze around to find myself in reality. I let myself fall onto my bed and calm down. "Just a dream... I need to lay off the games for a while..." I tell myself, feeling a tear in my eye. I let myself drift asleep again, this time trying to think of something a little more...happy..? Of course all I can think of is my friends' smiling faces. Then again, thats all the happiness I need.

~Next Morning~

"Gyahhhh..." I yawned as I stretched my arms and legs far out. I had managed to sleep like a log. After getting myself dressed, I open my door and as I walk out, I feel myself lightly kick something. Its... a small colorful box and my face lights up. "Yay..."

I remembered I had agreed to meet up with Brenden. After messaging him, our meeting place was the seating area in the Rookies Section, outside my old room. I see Brenden sitting there and now looking towards me. "Ah. There you are." He sounded energetic, but slightly relieved. Just how long was this guy waiting...?

"Uh... morning." I simply greeted. I just realized Brenden and I haven't hung out at all since we met, so I didn't know how to speak to him. "So..."

"So...?" Him too it seems...

"Uh... So! What made you decide to take today off?" I ask, trying to start a casual comversation as I sit beside him.

"Catain Tatsumi told me to." Brenden reluctantly replies. "Said I was over stressing myself."

"That's why I requested a day off as well. I'm completely burnt out. Admitting it was harder than I thought."

"Hey now, that just means you're a hard worker. I respect that. I had to be ordered to take a day." Brenden seemed half-lost in thought.

"Seems like you've got somethin on your mind."

"Its nothin. Anyway, lets get your things transfered, shall we?"

"Yeah, man. And thanks for helpin me out." We head into my old rookie section room and I had a LOT more things than I remember. Did I always have a bunch of light novels? Anyway, we load my game collection and pile of movies I, found for literally no money into boxes and carried them up to my current quarters.

"Ah, so this is Lin- I mean... what a Vets room looks like." Brenden corrects himself as he gazes around. "Heh, theres even a darts' board!"

"Brenden, you're allowed to talk about him. If anything, I'd say this is still his."

"Why do you say?"

"I don't deserve this. Yes, I've worked hard, but Lindow... he EARNED his praise over a long time. I get here and no time later I'm now in his spot."

"So you don't feel honored having people who would proudly follow you?!" I was shocked to hear him raise his voice.

"Of course I am. I love them all. All I'm saying is... well, it was a really overwhelming change that I wasn't ready for. My life here in general was!" I was smiling ear to ear.

"Oh, sorry. I misunderstood."

"Yeah... I'd never run away from them."

"That's more than I can say... I..." Brenden has a regretful look on his face.

"What happened...?" I asked, hoping to shlw concern. Brenden takes a deep breath and exhales to brace himself.

"Before I was transfered to the Far East, my partner and I encounter a monsterous Aragami... a Borg Cammlan Deusphage varient... a Susano'o"

"Susano'o..." I repeated. "I think I came across it on the Norn once..."

"We actually tried to fight it... and I..."

"Your partner sacrificed himself for you?" I guessed.

"I wish. No... I ran away like a coward! I looked back... and all I saw was it eating his God Arc with its claws..." I saw Brenden fighting tears. "I'll never live it down, but I have vowed never again to leave a friend to die again."

"I see... but at least now, I know I wont have to worry with you around."

"C-captain..." Brenden blushes slightly. "Aw shucks... thanks."

"Please, call me Silver."

"Sure. Oh, I almost forgot!" Brended removes a familiar black cloth from his pocket. "This is yours." I marveled at my bandana as Brenden handed it to me. As I took it though, I realized how much I related to him.

"Y'know... I ran away and left him to die..." I shamefully told him. "He told me to, sure. But I can't help but think that I could have done SOMETHING. And now here I am wearing this thing around my head like I earned it."

"I don't know what happened, but you shouldn't blame yourself. What could you have done? You couldn't just drag him, you'd be killed." Brenden said as an example. "You would die even if you could lift his God Arc. Then who would save your brother?"

Brenden makes some really good points. And Galen DID tell me to run... "I think you're very right, Brenden. He proved it time and time again. He loved me."

"Yeah. You living was probably all he wanted."

"Man, I thought I had gotten over this already." I suck it up and tie the headband onto my head like before. The way it grips my forehead makes me feel stromger and more awake.

"You look much better with it."

We headed out to finish moving things, then I shimied things around in my current living space. Brenden and I in the meantime talked about random stuff. I asked about the language he spoke bacl home and he stressed how hard learning Japanese was for him. After we got done, Brended approached the radio. "Hey, wanna turn this on?"

"Lindow said it broke, but we can try." I got up closer to the music player and turned it on. Sure enough, it actually turned on! Brenden scrolled through channels until he stopped at one that was playing... I don't even know... "Woow... what IS this...?" I asked in annoyance, trying not to be rude.

"Its country music!" He said as if i was supposed to know that, as he bobbed his head.

"Um... Please something else...?" Don't tell me that's all people in the West like...? Brenden then cycled and founding something alot more... guitar heavy. I began lightly banging my head. "Ey, now this is more like it."

"Ah, so your a rock guy."

I figured someone must have fixed the radio while I wasn't hear. Anyway, Brended and I tossed darts on the board for a while. We didn't really know the rules, but it was a good time. "Hey, Kanon could use this to practice aiming!" I thought outloud.

"Hey, speaking of which, I was wondering." Brenden spoke up as he tossed a dart. "How are things between you two?"

I know he meant well, but I honestly felt awkward talking about after last night. "I... don't know. I'm so confused."

"How so?"

"Last night, I thanked her for being so caring and she said 'You're almost like family to me!'."

"Oof. That sounds rough. I haven't had a relationship, so I don't know. But still, whether she views you as family or not, doesn't that mean she loves you either way?"

"Well... you have a point. I dunno, I thought we had somethin, but I guess it was just playig around. I wouldn't be surprised if she say me as some kinda long lost brother."

"Well... if it makes you feel any better, your definately a likeable guy. And I don't doubt that Kanon loves you, one way or another."

"Thanks, Brenden. Speaking of, I wonder if she's off the clock..."

~Sakuya POV~

Kanon and I returned from a mission alongside Kota and Alisa. Kanon pulls me over to talk, bit before that Kota speaks really quick. "Hey Sakuya, I need to talk to you when you're done."

"Sure, Kota..." I sigh. He's always chatty when we talk, but he's gotten better about it. I turn back to Kanon to listen to her problem. "Whats up? We never talk like this."

"Well, Sakuya... um..." Kanom sheepishly begins.

"Look, if its about the friendly fire, I know it was an accide-

"Is Silver doing OK?!" She blurts.

"He's... fine, I think. Why do you ask?"

"He was really stressed yesterday and he left VERY awkwardly."

"Hm... he has been working extra hard..."

"Then this morning, I knocked on his door to give him cookies, but he didn't come out even when I called for him."

"He was proably tired." I insisted. "You really care about him, huh?"

"Yeah... I was worried I said something wrong last night."

"Well, what did you say?"

"Um... I told him he needed a shower... then he thanked me for lookin out for him. Then I said 'Of course. You're almost like-" Kanon then gasps and starts scratching her head in worry. "Holy crap! I accidentally friendzoned Silver!" Kanon then starts scrambling in confusion.

"Hon, I'm sure Silver won't take it the wrong way." I try to cheer her up. "But now that you mention it he was muttering to himself when I passed him..."

"But he left so fast-Ah I screwed up!"

"Kanon, settle!"

"S-sorry..."

"I'm sure he doesn't think any less of you. Just be patient with him, OK?""

"I will. Thank you!" Kanom gives me a wave and runs off.

Now to deal with Kota... I walk up to him and get his attention and he has a more serious look on his face than usual. "Alright Kota, what did you need today."

"Sakuya, I need your help. Can you come with me to the training room?" I sigh and decide to go ahead and humor him. After loading up some fake Aragami, he begins fighting them, but the bullets he's using are something I've never seen before! His firing rate is faster and he has bullets that fire three together!

"Kota did you...?" I begin

"After I learned how to make custom bullets, I've been tinkering with these bullets since last night. And I created some for you."

"Wow, I'm kind of impressed but... why for me?"

"Silver told us to think up any way we can to fight Dyaus Pita, and thats what I did."

"Kota... I know how you feel..." I tell him that but...

"Sakuya, whether that thing killed Lindow or not, it needs to be taken down!" It was... shocking to hear him holler. "And I'm gonna do my part to make that happen."

I give up and ask him to let me see the bullets he made me. As powerful as they were, the dummy rounds were nothing compared to what the actual bullet probably is. "I think these aren't suited for a sniper like mine, but they'll definitely will help. Good job Kota."

"I just want to pull my weight on this team."

"Hm... Kota, let me give you some advice." I sit him down and hand us a cold drink. "Gun-types are there for support. Blade users like Tatsumi and even Soma would have a hard time fighting alone, so you're there to make sure they can fight without without any dictractions."

"I understand. Afterall, they're the only ones that can bring cores home."

"Exactly." Looking at Kota, its hard to miss how much he's grown since the beginning.

"I just wish there were a way besides strong bullets to help fight Pita..."

"From what we know, its fast. And its lightning doesn't make it any easier to get close..."

"Ah! Thats it!"

~Silver POV~

After Brenden and I were finished hanging out, I had a few cookies left from what Kanon baked for me, so I thought I'd try little something. I headed up to the doctors lab and spoke to him.

"Hey, Doctor Sakaki?"

"Ah! Young Silver, what brings you to the humble abode?" he asks me as he continues typing on his multi-screen computer. "Come to visit Shio again?"

"Yes, but I was wondering: is she allowed to eat normal food, like not Aragami?"

"Ah! Interesting question! According to my examinations, Shio can safely consume food that we humans eat, and savor there flavors." Sakaki explained. "If fact, human foods have absolutely no effect on her wellbeing at all!"

"Oh really? Thank you then; I'm gonna go in to see her."

"I'll stop in for a second in just a moment here, go right in." Sakaki told me. I walked into Shio's small white room, which was now covered in colorful scribbles on the wall out of crayon. I looked and saw Shio drawing on one of the walls with a blue crayon until I speak up.

"Hi, Shio!" I greet her. She turns to my and gives me a bright smile.

"Silver!" she runs up to me and smiles. "Did you come to play with Shio?"

"Kind of, I came to share these with you." I opened the tin box and showed Shio the cookies Kanon had baked.

"Ooohh… what are they?" Shio asked curiously.

"They're called 'cookies'", I answer the girl. "They're sweet and yummy snacks!" I give the Aragami Girl one and let her eat it. She picked out a small red sandwich-like one with a white icing in the middle. Shio bites it and explores its flavor. She look like she's in pure bliss.

"It's so tasty!" she says with a big cute smile.

Just as I pick a cookie up, Dr. Sakaki enters the room.

"Hello, you two? What are we up to?" Sakaki asked.

"We're eating cookies!" Shio said happily. "Eat one, Doctor!"

"I don't mind if I do!" He picks a cookie out of the box and examines it. "I assume that Ms. Kanon made these?"

"She sure did! She's an artist, I tell ya!" I proudly answer.

Shio had a puzzled look. "Ka...non?"

I place my hand upon Shio's head. "Kanon is a girl whose really special to me!"

"Are you all lovey-dovey with her?" Shio asked innocently.

I laughed a little at her cute way of wording it. "Weeell thats up in the air roght now, but... uh..." As I hear the door to Shio's room silde open, I turn to see Soma enter.

"Hey old man, I found the materials you asked for." Soma handed a small object to the doctor. "Oh.. Silver."

"Hey."

"Soma! Soma! Eat a cookie!" Shio begged.

"I'm fine, thank you though." Soma politely refused. At least he was nice about it.

"Awww, pleeaase?" Shio continued to beg with a big smile on her face.

How can I say no to that? Soma asked himself. He grabs a small cookie simlar to the one Shio picked, only his was a light green with a dark filling. He takes a small bite and a surprised expression pops onto his face. "This is… Really good!" He tossed the remainder of the cookie into his mouth and savored it's its cool, minty flavor. "Silver… Kanon made these, didn't she?"

"Sure did!" I answered.

"Give her my thanks."

"Hehe, nope! Sorry! You should tell her yourself."

"What? Why?!"

"Because, if you want to give her your gratitude, you should tell her yourself. Besides: its an order."

"Fine… I owe her that much." Soma said in defeat. "Thank you for sharing them with me, Shio."

"Of course! Food is more yummy when you eat it with others." Shio told Soma.

"Hmhm, your right. Ok, I have some things to do. I'll see you." He 'goodbyed' her in a kind voice.

Shio out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "OK. I'm sleepy anyways." Shio lay down on her bed and we started to leave the room and let the girl rest a while. "Umm… doctor?" she spoke up.

"Yes, Shio?" Sakaki responded, turning around.

"Can you… stay here? Just for a little?" The little Aragami pleaded.

"Umm… I suppose I can…" He answered, slightly confused. He shrugged it off and sat beside Shio on her bed.

I exited the room and decided too wait until the Doctor came out. While sitting, I faintly heard Shio hum to herself. She was humming 'her' song; the one she heard with Soma. It sounded beautiful, but… sad. The sound faded away and was replaced by cute snoozing. The professor Came out with a sad looking expression, for him that is.

"Are you Ok?" I ask in concern.

"I'll be fine." Sakaki told me. "I simply… I guess this is what it's like for a parent to spend time with their child."

"You've never had children? A family?"

"No. I never had many companions when I was your age, and always buried myself in scientific studies and the like. Looking back, I've always regretted never attempting an intimate relationship." I felt I was able to relate to Sakaki. When I was younger; before things happened, I never made any friends. I always lived a loner, not that I wanted to. Everything changed when I got to the Branch though.

"Well…" I started. "I was alone for quite sometime, but then everyone here became my family."

"Hmhm, I want to say 'scientifically and biologically, that's impossible!' But I've come to learn that blood and biology doesn't make up a family. It's the 'heart' shall we say. What we feel with each other." I keep my attention as he speaks. "Being with Shio has made me see that." Was that... a tear?

"Well, I consider you a part of that, too." I told the doctor. "You've taught me alot and I enjoy helping you."

The doc noticed the tear roll down his face and wiped it amd laughed. "Oh my, how embarrassing! But... thank you Silver. By the way, about what we spoke of yesterday..."

"Don't worry, I didn't forget." Hm... I felt rested enough, and I couple fights won't hurt me... "If she doesn't get out more often, she'll get antsy...

"Yes... and letting her wander the halls at night is risky enough."

"Yeah, I'll help." Afterall, Shio would be a handful for Soma by himself.

"Thank you. Now your going to habe to leave quick. The Director is in a board meeting and it'll end in approximately 3 hours and 25 minutes."

"Then we're wastin time." After quickly prepping for departer, we went out the Den's 'back door' in order to not draw attention to ourselves. Shio was now wide awake and looked ready to eat as usual. But more than that, she looked extra excited. We got to the abandoned factory and Shio started acting strange...

Her arm started... sort of morphing like a God Arc beginning to devour, but istead of materializing inti a mouth, it took the shape of a sword. "Sh-Shio is that a sword?!" I exclaimed.

"Its my 'God Arc'!" Shio she answers. "God Eaters are cool, and Shio wants to be just like them!"

Soma let out a chuckle. "Well then Shio, show us what you can do."

Before we moved out, it seem like Shio was waiting for me to say something. "Oh, do you wanna say it this time?"

"Haha! Mission start!" Shio shouted before running off.

"Shio wait!" Soma ran after her. Its nice that hes concerned for her safety but it kinda seems like he doesnt have to be. I caught up and we saw 6 Ogretails wandering around doing there thing.

"You know, I tried riding one of those once." Shio whispers. "It was NOT happy about that..." After chuckling to Shio's joke, I give her a signal to let loose. She rushed one of the monsters by slashing it repeatedly in a pattern that kinda looked familiar. Her technique was crisp and fast.

"She gets that from you!" Soma shouted to me as we each killed a couple of the Ogretails. A few more showed up, but we were ready for them.

Now that I noticed, it seemed Shio really was copying me. And what surprised me more was when she used a Devour with her sword. She even devours like we do. Before long, monsters stopped appearing for the ground and things went quiet. As I gazed at Shio, her sword-hand shrunk into her body until it was her normal hand. "You're not gonna eat?"

"Nope! I already did, and I. Am. Stuffed!" Shio said. "Did I do a good job?"

"You did. Thanks for the assistance." Soma told her. The little Aragami jumped for joy for a moment until Soma told her we needed to head home. "The old man says the board meeting is gonna get out earlier than expected. We need to move."

"Hey Soma, can I drive?!" I asked when we got back to the truck.

"You don't know HOW to drive." He plainly replies as he climbs into the driver's side.

"Then teach me, I can learn!"

"Oh my- some other time, now don't distract me!"

"Ooh, Shio wants to learn!" Shio beamed as she stood up from the back seat. We hit a bump and she fell back down while she 'oofed'.

"You're not old enough." Soma told her with a laugh.

"You don't know how old I am!"

"Do YOU know how old you are, Shio?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I am... mmm..." Shio pondered for a moment and gave up. "Oh... I don't know. Oh well, driving is probably hard anyway!" Thats the thing about Shio, she's good at shrugging the small stuff off.

After getting back to the Den, I still had plenty of time left in the day, so I decided on some late lunch. I actually met Licca at the cafeteria. Must've been taking a break. "Hey, Li. Busy today?" I asked

"Yeeaah, but I'm ahead of schedule for a moment, so I'm gonna take it a little easier than usual."

"How dare you take a moment to relax after working hard!" I playfully said as I pretended to slam my fist on the table.

"Says the guy who took a whole day off." She casually fires back. "Anyway, I'm glad I caught you. I've almost got an idea to implement what we talked about, but I found something in ypur God Arc that needed brought up."

"Whats wrong with it?!" I was worried, to say the least.

"You have a crap load of Aragami Bullets stored inside it. Why?"

"Is it a problem...?"

"Normally, yes. Aragami Bullets would slowly corrode the Arc if stored too long but... your God Arc in particular..."

"They're not affecting it?" I asked, hoping to feel relieved. "Because its more adaptive, correct?"

"Right. Bravo, Silver." I was happy to hear Licca praise me for understanding how it worked. Makes me know that I DO undsrstand. "When I made your new one, I used materials from a few different Aragami. And through even smaller upgrades, its used even more diverse materials."

"So it works... kinda like a vaccine. Taking a snippet of the desease in the be immune to it."

"Thats...!...actually really accurate. Anyway, I was gonna ask why you haven't used them."

"I'm gonna need them for our upcoming fight. I'll need all the help I can get."

"If its not harming anything, then it should be OK. Anyway, I think figured out how to deal with you're issue. Defending while moving."

"Right. I was thinking I could... hit attacks with my God Arc...? That sounds really dumb outloud..."

"No, that sounds perfect! And I have just the idea! You know how Burst really... works, right?"

"When I devour an Aragami, It takes in some of its cells unto itself temporarily, some of which becomes a bullet."

"Correct. Bravo again, Silver. I was thinking, if we tweak the way your God Arc takes in cells, you God Arc blade will be able to nuetralize Oracle based attacks, and even reflect them if you hit them juuust right."

"Licca, thats brilliant! But... would would that be at the cost of weaker Aragami bullets?"

"I'm running out of bravo's... yeah, but the ones you have stored will still be unchanged. Anyway, I have a perfect name for this upgrade!"

"Yes...?" The suspence was killing me.

"Oracle Crusher!"

"That. Sounds freaking awesome. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Mmm... nothing really accept for try it out when its ready. I'm ready to go start on it now so you can do so tomorrow, so I'll catch you later!" Licca scurries from her seat."

"Hey Licca!" I shout and she stops walking and turns to me. "Thanks for putting all this extra effort in for me"

"No problem! I love doing things like this!"

~The Next Day~

Soma POV

Just another day, running errends for the old coot. Then after I stopped by the old man's Lab, Silver said he had a new 'technique' he wanted to try out. Besides myself, he also wanted to bring Kanon along. "Alrighty, guys. Targets today are a Chi-You and a Privthi Mata." He reminded us. "I'm gonna handle the Chi-You on my own. I want you two to take out the Mata."

"Gotcha!" Kanon replies with her usual spunk. "They'd better not be boring, cause Kanon's looking for a fight!"

Jeez, she's loud. "Understood. We'll meet up after one of us destroys our target?" I asked to be sure.

"Yeah. Now, work together and protect each other. You need backup, I'll be there as soon as I can." Silver ordered us. Of course, coming from him they don't sound... order-like. After we seperated, I felt like I should take a chance to give my than- God dammit Silver. He set me up...

"Hey so I was thinking..." Kanon speaks up. Probably just gonna small talk me. "So this Aragami uses Ice-based attacks, right?"

"Yeah, why?" I question.

"Then why would it come down here? It'll be weaker. Not that thats a problem for US or anything."

"It probably just wandered. And it's bound to have adapted to the heat by now."

"Mm. True..." Suddenly we both heard footsteps around a corner. We stop and prepared for a fight. I try to think up a plan until she speaks up again quietly. "Quick, get on the other side of that opening and I'll draw his attention!"

I was about to tell her to shut it, but its a fairly good idea. But what if she... "Soma...!"

"Fine." I dash over to the other side of the top of a set of stairs. Kanon backs up, gets on one knee and is ready to take aim. Just as the Privthi's head is in sight, a large blast of fire is shot from Daiba's God Arc. The Aragami quickly turns its attention to her.

"Come and get me!" She taunts, to which the Aragami falls for. Taking advantage of the opening, I ready a Charge Crush and wait for it to notice me, but its still going after Kanon, who is now starting to panic.

"H-hey!" I shout to get the monster's attention. It turns its head to me and starts toward me. As its close enough to unleashmy attack, it jumps to the side to dodge. "Oh no you don't!" O shout as.i spin around to redriect my attack to the side and slash right into the side of the Ice tiger's face. But after all that charging I barely nicked it thanks to the bastard's mane. I almost stumble from my attack's recoil and I turn too see it roaring as a straight flurry of Ice spikes flies in my direction. "Gyah!" I cry before I open my shield as something hits me from the side.

"You OK?" I realize Kanon jumped into me to help me...

"Don't worry about me." I assure he and get back in the fight. As it attempts to pounce me, I roll forward and counter with a slow uppercut that slices the Aragami's stomache open.

"Aha! Did we get him?!" Daiba fiercely asks as the Privthi rolls around after getting hit. It gets back up lets out an extra angry roar. "Oh... not even close..."

~Silver POV~

After I got to a point where I had a good amount of Burst, waited for the Chi-You to fire its flaming balls at me. "C'mon, gimme best shot!" I taunt as I'm in a semi-hurry to destroy this guy. His wing-hands stsrt glowing, signalling his fireball flurry. 'Wait for it...' I tell myself. I attempt to strike the first flameball and I feel almost no force against my God Arc as the projectile dispersses into thin air. "Ahah! It worked!" I shout as I strike two more of them before Burst fades away. "This is perfect, Licca! I owe you one." I tell myself and finish off the Chi-You with a slash followed by a yank of my Arc.

"Hey, Silver!" I here Soma shout in my ear in a panic. "We need a hand!"

"I'm on my way!"

~Soma POV~

"Gyuh!" I grunt as Privthi Mata wallops me into a close by wall. Some of the pain goes away when Kanon heals me and I barely dodge a pounce followed by an icy version of a Vajra's discharge. Kanon takes the oportunity to unleash a huge amount of Oracle into one blast of fire. The monster is caught off guard as the blast impacts its front legs and it tumbles down.

"Now DIE!" I cry as I rush towards the fallen Aragami. I'm ready to swipe it in two,.but at the last desperation, it steps back and before i realized, I feel a cold pain pierce my chest a single stake ice is thrust into it.

"SOMA...!" I hear as a flash of light blinds my vision. I feel my arm around a person and bounces as its carried away. As my vision clears, I lie against a wall in pain. "Good, its melting..." Kanon says as she observes the now smaller spike of ice in my chest. As blood seaps from it. "I'm going to pull it out..." she says to warn me." I nod as I'm having a hard time speaking.

"GYAH..." I cry once again as Kanon yanks the ice out. It hurts like hell, but a Pill will help me brush it off, so I take on and stand myself up. "Shit, it found us!" I shout as i see it run quickly around a curve.

"Hey guys!" Silver says to both of us over comm. "I'm having trouble getting to you. A Gboro showed up!"

"Its... OK..." Dammit...

"Soma, careful this time!"

"I-urgh... don't need your advice!" I shout while Shielding a flurry of ice shots once again. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the girl running closer to the monster and when I drop my shield she's right underneath the beast's face and lets her shots loose on it. The recoil causes her to flinch and Kanon is send flying my way. I manage tp catch her, but the monster is headed our way.

"Uh Soma..." Kanom sheepishly addresses me. 'I'm outta ammo... heheh..." I can see the worry in her face as her grip is shaky.

"Get out of here!" I demand. "Help Silver!" I drop a Restore Ball for her to use. "I can handle this!" Suddenly, Kanon's look becomes sharp as she turns to me.

"Hell. No." She growls as she lightly shoves me into the ball. And holds her hand out. "Silver ordered us to work together and protect each other. If one of us dies, he'll hate both of us. Now... please tell me you have an Ampule!"

I'm stunned at her resolve. I step forth and give her the one Ampule I have to spare. She injects her God Arc with it and we turn to the Aragami and get out of the way of anothr ice maul. "Its on its last legs. Lets end it!" I call out as I try to flank it and slash its back legs. My Arc's mouth opens and I leap into the air and slam kt into the monster, holdkng it for a brief moment. "Now!" I shout as I tighten my Arc's bite.

Not letting a second go to waste, Kanon lets out a battle scream and lets loose point blank on the feightened monster, and several small chunks fly off its face.

I land back down and for one final blow, I begin one more Charge Crush and slam the Aragami almost in two and devour Its core throughthe cracks. After the kill is confirmed, I collapse and use my Arc as a crutch as I breath heavily.

"Soma!" Kanon runs up to me to take a look at me. "We have to fix that gash!"

"Don't worry. I'm 'different.' It'll be better in no time." I insisted. She still proceeds to take bandages from her pocket and attempt to wrap me up.

"Coat off. Lift your shirt." I back slightly at the thought of her flat out demanding me to remove my coat and expose myself to her. "I don't care who you are. If you're wounded at ALL, its not getting ignored." I sigh in defeat and lift my shirt enough so she can wrap my gash the pressure nullifies the pain a bit and after going around a few times she's finished. "There ya go!" She smiles. "Now you wont lose any blood. Until we get home."

"Thanks..." I say, blushing slightly.

"Hey!" I hear Silver call in the distance and see him running up to us. "Are you guys OK?" He begins panting.

"It got a little hectic but we're OK." Kanon answered. "We did OK for just the two of us, right Soma?"

"Whew...I'm glad you to we're able to handle it. "

"Of course, he and I were a killer team!" And I realize she's the one who carried us both on this mission.

"Heh. Hey... Kanon...?" I nervously started with a hint of guilt.

"Hm? Whats up?"

"The... things I said to you way back when. That you don't belong with us... caling you... things. I'm sorry... I take every bit of it back."

"S-soma..."

"You are NOT weak. And when things got bad... you put yourself in danger to protect me even though I said such hurtful things. So... thank you."

"Oh I had forgetten about al that... hehe..." Kanon laughs in embarressment.

"Airhead..." Silver giggles.

"Hey!"

"Oh! And I... also tried one of your cookies..."

"Finally! I knew you couldn't resist them forever."

"Of course not. Not with Shio begging me to try one. She was head over heels for-

"SOMA!" Silver shouts through his teeth.

Oh shit...

Author's note-

YAY I finally got my mojo back! And this time I'll try to keep it XD i only wish i could think of a better chapter name. Now keep in mind, as much as I would love to devote my time to these chapters,.tjat has been extremely hard lately. Work is kicking me in the Ars Acrcanum. Hopefully things die down and i can pick up on these more ofter.


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